Devil on the Doorstep
by The Wicked Witch of Dingl
Summary: Sequel to The Phantom of the Abbey. Chapter 21: Seth thinks about pain. Unexpected new chapter! COMPLETE! Honest this time!
1. Chapter I: Dying in Your Arms

Devil on the Doorstep

_Hey guys! Here it is; the sequel to The Phantom of the Abbey (From hereon called POTA). You MUST read POTA before you start this one; otherwise nothing will make any sense. I do not own any of the songs in this story._

_So… enjoy!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter I: Dying in Your Arms

"Mr Hiwatari, just calm down and we can check how your hands are healing."

"I told you. Get. Out. Of. My. Room."

"Now now, you wouldn't want me to sedate you, would you?"

"Touch me with that needle and I'm suing for assault!"

Tyson looked at Ray.

"Sounds like Kai's having fun!" He quipped and Max burst out laughing.

It had been three weeks since the training sector of the BBA head-quarters had been devastated by fire, and things were slowly returning to normal. Kai's hands had been badly burnt, and the hospital had had to stitch up the gash on his forehead, but apart from that, he was fine. More to the point was the disappearance of the entire Demolition Boy team, even Bryan, who had been in hospital the last time anyone saw him. The fire-fighters had found Kai unconscious, but there had been no Seth…

"Hey Kai!" Max bounded into the room. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Can my day get any worse?"

-

_You poisoned my life, so I take this knife, and I cut you out. Cut you out…_

-

The first thing he felt was blinding pain. Bryan's soul screamed back into his body and his lavender eyes opened wide, his mouth admitting a hiss of pain.

"Bry! Tala was by his side in a flash. Tala embraced his friend, and all Bryan could see was red.

"Where-am-I…?" He whispered, trying to see. Ian stepped forward.

"The Tower." Bryan's eyes grew wider with fear.

"How long was I out?"

"Three weeks. We were getting worried. We didn't think you would make it." Bryan glared at his best friend.

"What can you remember?" Spencer asked. Bryan closed his eyes and arched his back.

"I remember… reminding Kai about our promise…" a tear began to form in his eye, but he banished it. "And then we fought… I was on top of him and he was struggling to get up… Pain… so much… Then Kai… After that, everything's blank." Bryan shook his head angrily. "What's wrong with me?" he whimpered and pulled himself up into a sitting position, cradling his head in his hands.

"You're just recovering from your fall." Kasi said, grinning across the room at him. "You broke a couple of ribs. We thought we were going to lose you when we heard one of them pierced your lungs… You also bruised the membrane in your back, but that's healed well whilst you've been out."

"Bry? How are you feeling?" Tala was like a mother hen, fussing around him.

"Actually… not bad." Bryan admitted, pulling on his gillet.

"Could you run?" Kasi and Tala exchanged glances.

"Da. Why?" Bryan began to brush his hair, wincing as it snagged on the knots.

"We know a way out."

-

_And now I see it's you that's tearing me, ensnaring me, this is my dying in your arms, I cut you out now set me free…_

-

Seth opened his eyes slowly. His throat was so dry he could barely breathe. He was in the same place he'd been for weeks.

It was only Voltaire and Boris that ventured down here. Speak of the devil…

Voltaire opened the tiny bottle in his hands.

"What's that?" Seth rasped.

"This, my son, is a mixture I conjured up out of hydrogen dioxide and sodium chloride. You'll know what that is, if you can cast your mind back fifteen years ago." Seth knew.

"Salt."

-

_So I escaped, cut this noose around my neck, I break free to see the things you blinded me…_

-

_So, what do you think? When you review, if you have any ideas for songs, please tell me, I have no idea for the second chapter! And this is the revised version, thanks to she-devil-16 for pointing something out!_


	2. Chapter II: Hello

Devil on the Doorstep

_Hiya guys! Here I am, fresh back from my weekend break, complete with a** gorgeous**moonstone, garnet and silver necklace… look out for a story about that, because it's given me a dead good idea! So yeah… And I still need songs. I got one from Winter, and I do have remote ideas, but I need more. It must have three good lines, because I need to quote them. And it must have a good title, because if it's called something weird, then it won't fit in particularly well with the story, now will it? So cast your minds and have a think!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter II: Hello

"So, Kai, is it good to be home?" Max bounded into their living area, which had recently acquired two sofas.

"No." Kai grabbed an energy drink and slammed the fridge door.

"Aw, come on, we're only trying to be nice!" Tyson sat down on one of the sofas and Ray dragged Kai onto the other one.

"I don't do 'nice'." Kai snapped, balling his hands into fists. He winced as some of the burnt skin caught. "I'm going to train!" He called as he walked out the door.

"You aren't supposed to do anything strenuous!" Ray ran after him.

"Newsflash: I don't care." Kai pulled his scarf closer around his body, shuddering in the early Japanese mists. Ray noticed he avoided the sunnier area, where a large patch of blood marred the beauty. Crimson eyes glanced at it nervously before pulling Dranzer out and beginning to train.

-

_Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken…_

-

"This is mad!" Bryan growled, pulling his Abbey cloak over his lavender hair. Tala nodded his agreement. "How the hell am I going to get to Japan?"

"Simple, say you're a Hiwatari. Charge it all to Kai." Bryan nodded, seemingly appeased with the answer.

"Hang about! What about my looks? I look nothing like Kai!"

"Hence the grey hair dye. Take off that ridiculous cloak!" Bryan bent over the basin of water and Kasi rubbed in the grey liquid-gel. She then hastily towel dried it and kissed the top of Bryan's head. Tala pulled out a blue pen and quickly shaded in four blue shark fins at the older boy's collarbone. Bryan pulled his hood on nervously and began to run down the tower steps, knocking into Boris.

"What the-" The older man growled. Bryan cursed under his breath and sprinted across the frozen tundra. He found the hole in the fence easy enough and wriggled through, for once glad of his Abbey training. He heard barking, and realised Boris had released the dogs. His breath was coming in gasps and his ribs were hurting. Suddenly, he hurtled forwards into the snow. Rolling over, he blinked as he was several large helicopters hovering above the Abbey. As he watched, small implements began to fall from them. He realised what they were. Bombs. One hit the canteen, two hit the main building and dungeons and one hit the tower.

"NO!" Bryan screamed, frozen tears on his face. "Please God! No!" He curled up, sobbing like a small child. It was only the barking of the dogs that spurred him onwards.

-

_Suddenly, I know I'm not sleeping…_

-

Seth screamed as the liquid came into contact with his face. Voltaire paused, a smile spread across his features.

"Now, my boy. Where is he?" Seth shook his head, tight lipped. "I can inflict more pain than this!" The older man snarled and slapped his son. Seth was thrown backwards by the force of the blow. He winced as it hit his burnt back.

"My lord!" Boris burst into the room. "Bryan's escaped!" Seth's heart leapt at the news.

"Run Bryan!" He gasped in pain. Voltaire looked like he was about to say something when the roof fell in.

-

_Hello, I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday…_

-

_I didn't like this chapter at all, especially the Abbey bombings bit. I think I kept Kai in character (wow!) but nothing else really works. It looks like a five year old wrote this, and I think I'm rushing too far with the storyline. If anyone has any ideas, do not hesitate to tell me, because I'm not too sure what's going to happen!_


	3. Chapter III: We Are

Devil on the Doorstep

_I'm going to go ahead with my original idea… This is going to be interesting. Apologies for the crappy writing, but I just have to vent this… personally, I am waiting for Troublesome Aries and Winter Rae to come online and yell at me for the crap that was last chapter. But they wouldn't do that… they're polite, see? And we now know where Bryan was for most of G-Rev – washing his hair! And if you don't like OOC Bryan and Kai – even more OOC than POTA, then turn away now. I guess this could be shounen-ai, but I see it as close friendship in extreme times. DO NOT FLAME ME. FLAMES WILL BE GIVEN TO SETH TO DISPOSE AND THE PHANTOM WILL GET YOU._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter III: We Are

"I'm fifteen, Ray!" Kai growled. "I can take care of myself! Now tell me where the hell you hid my beyblade!"

"If you could take care of yourself, then you would realise that you can't beyblade. Not in your condition, Kai!" Ray was firm, nothing could get around him. "I've talked with Mr Dickinson" Kai's eyes flashed "-and he agrees that you need rest. So no beyblading. Deal with it." Kai launched himself angrily at the neko-jin, but Ray simply grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back. Kai hissed in pain.

"Let go of him, Ray." Max reasoned firmly. Ray dropped the older boy in an instant, shocked at Max acting so mature.

Kai's red eyes were gleaming as he tried to assess the situation. With his heavily bandaged hands, it was obvious he'd come last in a fist fight, or a street fight. But Kai could kick box… as if he could read his mind, Max actually walked over and pushed Kai onto the sofa… and actually _sat_ on him. Kai stiffened at the close contact and felt a pair of ghost hands at the back of his neck.

"Get the hell off me!" He hissed. Max jumped off, shocked at the venom in Kai's voice. "Well, kitty. Looks like you win." Kai should have known what was going to happen.

"Do not call me that!" Ray snarled.

"Give me back my blade and I'll stop, _kitten_." Ray swore under his breath and stormed to the door, throwing it open.

"Holy cow!" They heard him yell, and then he came back, dragging something, _someone_, by the hair into the room. Kai was up in a flash.

"Bryan!" The ex-lavender haired blader looked almost sleepily at Kai and fell forward into the bluenette's arms.

-

_See the devil on the doorstep now, my oh my…_

-

Bryan had never felt such as rush of emotions as he did then. Wrapped in Kai's arms, he felt like he could lose himself in the warmness of the gesture.

Travelling for three weeks with little food had changed the silver haired teen. Drifting through continents, continually on the run, had made him scared of almost every movement; every shadow. The pressure of keeping up his emotionless façade, with no Tala to talk to when things got rough, had cracked the mask, perhaps forever. Bryan didn't care what anyone thought of him, he just didn't want to leave Kai.

The bluenette gently supported him into a bedroom and helped him onto the bed.

"Sleep Bry." Kai whispered in Bryan's ear.

"You won't leave me…?" Bryan gasped out the words.

"Never." Kai gripped Bryan's wrist and Bryan returned the gesture

Then his eyes closed.

-

_Lining up for the grand illusion, no answers for no questions asked, lining up for the execution without knowing why…_

-

"Kill him." Seth's eye, bloody and swollen, looked up at his father, with the last vestiges of hope in it. Voltaire saw this and frowned.

"My lord," Boris interrupted. "Your son wants to die. And, if he does, then where the brat is will never be revealed."

"Well, it's never going to be revealed if the Phantom won't tell, will it?" Voltaire snarled angrily and delivered another punch into the younger man's abdomen. Seth gagged.

"There is another way… It has worked before." The purple haired man and the silver looked at each other for a very long time.

"Very well. He is all yours." Voltaire retreated into a corner of the room, eyes gleaming. Seth should have known.

"Excellent." Boris cackled. "Although he is a bit older than his son, he is just as good looking…" Seth's pale cheek flushed slightly. Boris ran a hand down the Phantom's thigh. Seth gasped and twisted away. "Tell us, Seth." Boris' mouth was next to his ear. Seth shook his head.

"Never." He echoed his son. Boris chuckled again and resumed his actions, moving the hand up a little bit each time. Bitter tears coursed down the Phantom's face.

"Tell us…" There was a nod.

Seth Dimitri Hiwatari had betrayed his own son.

-

_It's all about power, about taking control, breaking the will and raping the soul…_

-

_Hmm… I like Seth's section, and Bryan's. Hate Kai's, but there's nothing I can really do about it. Just want to clarify: Not a shounen-ai, though it can be interpreted as such, but there will be no MxM here… I don't think Suzy would be very happy!_

_Review!_


	4. Chapter IV: The Rememberance Ballad

Devil on the Doorstep

_Well, I'm upset. No one reviewed the last chapter. :'(. Am I really that bad? And only six people have read it. More Bryan fluff, because I just love writing him so out of character. And Kai is acting a bit more like his father in this chapter, well, the way I envisage Seth t be when he's not going mental and talking to dead people! Maybe it would be safer to say he's acting like Kasi. And thanks to Winter-Rae for giving me the song!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter IV: The Remembrance Ballad

Kai sat down carefully in the seat Ray gave him. Bryan looked so peaceful when he was asleep, yet Kai knew from bitter experience that nightmares could be just around the corridor.

"Why did you let him have your bed?" Ray growled, sitting down next to him. Kai glared silently at the neko-jin.

"He needs sleep." Kai's voice was barely above a whisper. Bryan muttered slightly, his brow creasing in his nightmare.

"He's not human. He doesn't deserve anything!"

"Keep your voice down!" A tear tracked down Bryan's face, as if he could hear Ray.

"For God's sake, Kai!" Ray knocked his chair over. "One minute you're trying to kill him, the next you're his best friend! He'll betray you! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's working for Boris right now!" At the mention of Boris, Bryan's eyes opened wide.

"No, Ray. Funny how you only say that about Bryan." Kai drew the older boy into a protective hug, glaring at Ray over Bryan's shoulder. "Get out of my room."

"But-"

"Out." Bryan burrowed his head into Kai's shoulder slightly.

"Thank you." He murmured as Kai rubbed his back.

"For what?"

"Sticking up for me. You didn't have to."

"It's what friends do. Plus, I'm fed up of Ray acting like the alpha cat." Bryan grinned slightly and curled up in the bed again.

-

_What if I could take back all those misspent days? Every second of anger, I would wash my sins away…_

-

Bryan woke up, suddenly and sharply. The first thing he saw was Kai's bent over figure and he realised that Kai was asleep. He looked uncomfortable in the hard wooden chair. Bryan looked down at Kai's hand, still firmly clasped in his. He wriggled his hand out and stared at the bandages on the younger boy's hands. Curious, he carefully unwrapped it. Bryan barely blinked at the burns on the hand.

"No one ever tell you curiosity killed the cat?" Kai's warm voice said humorously.

"Good thing I'm not a cat then." Bryan replied. "Those burns need fresh air. Why are you keeping them bandaged?"

"It's what the hospital said." Kai smiled as Bryan raised an eyebrow. "You want something to eat?" Bryan stared at Kai in confusion.

"But…" He shook his head to stop himself saying anything stupid. "I can't." Kai raised an eyebrow cockily and helped Bryan up.

"We'll find you something." Kai smirked. "What the hell are you doing?" Bryan darted forward and undid the other bandage.

"I'll eat if you keep them off. Deal?" Kai nodded and slung an arm around Bryan's shoulders.

"Hey Bryan." Max waved from the table. Bryan nodded back, slightly nonplussed.

"**_What the… Why are they talking to me?"_** He asked his mentor in confusion.

"**_Max doesn't hold a grudge. Keep out of the way of Ray though, because he definitely does." _**Ray scowled as he heard his name. "Sit." Kai nodded to one of the seats.

"You want some milk?" Max held the bottle out. Bryan looked askance at Kai, who shook his head.

"No, thank you." He whispered.

"Pancakes?" Another shake of the head. "Cocoa?" Kai had a wry smile on his face as he shook his head again. "Porridge?" Yet again, another shake of his head.

"You can eat something!" Tyson yelled, slamming his palms down on the table. Bryan flinched away in fear, his eyes wide.

"Yes, that is true." Kai came up behind Bryan and Bryan wrapped his arms around Kai's legs. "But not any of the stuff you just suggested."

"Why not?" Ray sneered. "Is he fussy?" Kai frowned and opened his mouth, but Bryan beat him to it.

"I'm lactose intolerant. I can't have dairy products. I have a…" Bryan looked at Kai for help.

"A serious carbohydrate malabsorption. Means he can't have any milk, not even soya. And all the food you offered is milk-based. Catch." Kai chucked a couple of pieces of fruit at the Russian, who ducked slightly, but caught them easily enough. Ray raised a hand to push his bangs away and Bryan cowered away.

Kai caught him as he fell backwards in a dead faint.

-

_It only just recently hit me, that this life is just a state, mortality fading, like the innocence of love, I'm scared to death of what's to become…_

-

"Good boy." Voltaire looked at his son as Seth fitted in the most hated of his masks; the 'masquerade' mask. It was the only one that covered most of his face and was suitable for how Seth felt: disgusted with himself, ashamed. "I always knew you were a Hiwatari in your heart. The incident with the servant is behind us now."

Seth's eye narrowed as he shaded them in with the kohl pencil. He knew he had barely any power, but he swore, whatever it took, that he was going to survive his work, and come out human.

He was going to have his revenge.

-

_Will anyone remember my name when time has washed away the dust of our ashes?_

-

_Ooo… not sure if I like this chapter… I've always intended for Bryan to be lactose intolerant! Ooo… I might make him anaemic! Damn it, I forgot about the books! Review!_


	5. Chapter V: Phantom of the Opera

Devil on the Doorstep

_And now, I present the next chapter… just have to find a song…_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter V: Phantom of the Opera

Kai lifted up the Russian swiftly and placed him on the couch. Bryan's eyes fluttered open as he withdrew his arms.

"Kai…? Where am I?" Kai squatted down beside the older boy, stroking his hair.

"Ssh… Its ok, you're still at Tyson's. You passed out Bryan. Can you remember anything?"

"Ray… he was going to hit me…" Bryan whimpered, covering his face with his hands. Kai shook his head and pulled Bryan into a soothing embrace.

"You have changed…" He murmured in the elder boy's ear. "A little while ago you wouldn't let anyone touch you, let alone see you cry." Bryan shuddered and burrowed into Kai's shoulder. Kai grinned, despite his better judgement, and stroked the shuddering boy's hair. "Why are you so scared, Bry?" Kai drew away, looking curiously at the older boy.

"Don't ask. Please…" Bryan's lavender eyes filled quickly with fear and he began to shake. "You don't… You're so _happy_ here… you don't need to know…"

"It's ok… Don't tell me." Kai gently lifted the boy in his arms and carried him back into the room. Kai smiled softly as Bryan curled up in the bed automatically, grasping Kai's hand in a death grip.

-

_Keep your distance, walk away, don't take his bait. Don't you stray, don't fade away…_

-

Bryan opened his eyes slowly, remembering what had happened the previous day. He giggled silently as he looked at Kai, curled up next to him. He looked down at his hand and realised he'd kind of squished the smaller boy's hand… it seemed to be going blue. Bryan wriggled his hand out and took another look at the younger boy. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep.

Bryan staggered out of bed, aiming for the bookcase on the other side of the room. There were Russian books scattered across the floor, but he ignored them until, finally, he got to the bookcase. He knelt down; ignoring the shaking in his limbs, and began to look at the books. He picked one at random and squinted at the title.

"A…r…t…e…mice Flowl?" he guessed at the title.

"Artemis Fowl. And who said you could get up?" Kai's teasing voice floated from the bed.

"You were asleep. I'm reading, do you mind?" Bryan growled as the younger boy snatched the book out of his hands.

"If you call that reading, I'm not surprised Ian is always arguing with you?" Kai teased. "And anyway, you aren't allowed to do anything strenuous, because your brain could explode." Bryan pulled a face.

"Yes mother." The silver haired boy groaned as his stomach rumbled. "Kai?" No answer. "KAI!" Still no answer. Bryan tottered to the bed and glared heatedly at Kai's back. "HOBBIT! I'm hungry!" Kai gave a snore that sounded very realistic, so realistic Bryan didn't know if he was really asleep or not.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ray yelled from his room. In an instant, Bryan's confidence disappeared and Kai opened his eyes to see the older boy shaking.

Bryan's shaking only stopped when the bluenette wrapped his arms around him, and when Kai asked what he wanted to eat, Bryan said he wasn't hungry.

-

_Watch your step, he's out to get you, come what may, don't you stray from the narrow way, I'm running and hiding, in my dreams you're always there…_

-

Seth barely blinked as he walked through the wreckage of the abbey. He joined Boris as the older man counted off the survivors of the abbey.

"Corey… Zoe… Dimitri…Borya…Brody…Dima…Fadeyka…Kiryl… That's all." Boris closed the register book. Seth looked up in alarm.

"Where are Tala, Kasi, Spencer and Ian?"

"Dead. And soon, Bryan and Kai will join them."

Seth's eye narrowed. He twisted the cane in his hands, not noticing when he pulled a knife from the top and accidentally cut his hands.

-

_I've been looking so long for you now you won't get away from my grasp, you've been hiding so long, in hiding behind that false mask…_

-

_What do you think? Apart from Corey and Zoe, all the others are Russian names! Tell you what, in your reviews, look at the guys names (minus Zoe and Corey) and put which one is your favourite and which one if your least favourite, and I'll write the favourite character in to the story! So yeah… review!_


	6. Chapter VI: My December

Devil on the Doorstep

_I am getting the most amazing reviews for this story. One reviewer even told me it almost made her cry. Thanks guys. I didn't think anyone liked this story, as it's not as immediate as POTA, but you have convinced me otherwise. I love you all!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter VI: My December

Bryan looked so peaceful when he was asleep, Kai thought, stroking a stray bang off the elder boy's face. Bryan mumbled slightly, something about 'blue bubbles' and 'guns'.

"Kai?" Tyson poked his head around the partition. "We need to have a talk." Kai nodded silently. "Come on then!"

"I'm not leaving Bryan." He replied stubbornly. "We'll have to talk in here."

"You can leave that… thing for a few minutes." Ray growled. "He's older than you, isn't he supposed to be brave?" Ray soon regretted that, as Kai flew across the room and pinned his head to the wall by his ponytail.

"Bryan is brave. He's been through horrors you can't even imagine, and if I ever hear you say anything like that again, then I will kill you, pussy cat!" To enforce the threat, Kai drew a gun from his pocket. "Capische?" Ray gulped nervously.

"Kai…?" Bryan murmured, awaking from his sleep. "Where… Where… KAI?" Tears streamed out of his eyes.

"Bry, I'm here." Kai dashed across the room and cradled the elder boy. Ray glared at the gun on the ground angrily.

"I thought you'd left me… everyone leaves me…" Bryan closed his eyes and leant against the younger boy. Kai didn't say anything and started to rock the elder boy, noting with a smile when he fell asleep.

"Now, what do you want to talk about?" He growled, the smile slipping off his face as he turned to his team mates.

"You can't just let him leech onto you like this, Kai!" Tyson said buoyantly. "You haven't slept properly in days, why can't you let him sleep on the sofa? It's your bed after all!" Max opened his mouth to reprimand Tyson, but Kai beat him to it.

"Did you see how he acted just then, Tyson?" He growled in a voice dripping with menace and venom. "I was the other side of the room and he was terrified. He is so scared that someone is going to hurt him. He knows that people are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep, and he knows that Boris wants to hurt him. Think about that." Tyson shrank away from his captain in horror.

"Well, remember, the White Tigers and the Majestics are coming over. You'll have to share, and Bryan won't want to." Ray mocked.

"Bryan won't care." Kai growled, balling his fists. "And if he does, then I'll leave the team. That's what you want, isn't it, Ray? You want me to go because I am friends with Bryan."

"No… I…" Ray pushed his bangs from his forehead awkwardly.

"Bry?" Max noted with some amusement how Kai's voice changed when he talked to the Russian. It became warmer and more tender, something that usually would not be present on the Indonesian. "Can you wake up? Can you hear me?" Bryan's eyes fluttered open. Slowly, he nodded. "Bry, the White Tigers and the Majestics are going to be staying here for a few days. You ok with sharing?"

"You'd be here, right?" Bryan gripped Kai's hand firmly.

"Yeah. I'd sleep on the floor, or in the chair. Don't worry, I won't leave you again."

"Ok… Can I go back to sleep now?" Kai nodded with a smile on his face and Bryan curled up again, yawning cutely.

-

_And I just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed…_

-

Bryan woke up, hours later. Kai was keeled over in the chair next to him, and Bryan poked his cheek softly. Kai woke with a start and chuckled softly as he saw Bryan's concentrate expression.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up. Do you want to come into the main living area? Only, the others are there, and I think they're a bit jealous that they never see me anymore." Kai rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly.

"Ok… Yeah, I'll come." Bryan said quietly. "Can I bring that book? My English is improving; at least, I think it is. Am I really that bad?" Kai chuckled.

"No, it isn't bad. Not perfect, but not bad." Bryan relaxed. "Sure you can take it. You can use me as a dictionary, I'll probably be a lot handier than one of those massive thick blocks I have on the bottom shelf." Bryan nodded and slipped out of the bed, sliding the book out of the shelf.

"Hey Kai, hey Bryan," Max greeted them from one of the sofas. Bryan waved slightly and moved closer to Kai. The blonde's cheerfulness was slightly unnerving. Kai sprawled out on the other sofa, taking up all the room. Bryan sat cross-legged on the floor by Kai's head, opening the book. "Whatcha reading?" the American asked.

"Artemis Fowl." Bryan whispered, drawing his shoulders back slightly.

"I thought you couldn't read English?" Tyson asked. Bryan flinched slightly.

"He's learning." Kai placed a hand on Bryan's shoulder, forcing it forward so he was sitting straight. To avoid further questions, Bryan opened the book and began to read it, mouthing the words to himself.

"Kai…" He mumbled softly, embarrassed.

"Yeah? You ok?" Kai sounded quite sleepy, but Bryan knew otherwise.

"What's that word…p…e…v…o…l…e? Pevole?" Ray snickered quietly.

"Huh? Provoke, Bry. You missed out the r and that's an 'e', not an 'o'. The other one is a 'k'; do you see the lines there?" Bryan nodded and began to read the book again. However, it wasn't long before it started again.

"Kai…"

"For God's sake!" Ray growled, glaring at the older boy. "Use a dictionary or read something that your tiny brain can comprehend!" Bryan flinched away, burying his head in Kai's abdomen.

"Back off Ray!" To his surprise, it wasn't Kai that snapped, but Max. "If Bryan wants to read something, that's his business! And if Kai doesn't mind Bryan asking him questions, then there's nothing you can do!" Ray stared incredulously at the younger blader. Bryan turned around and looked straight at Max, for once not avoiding eye contact.

"Thank you." He said clearly. Max grinned widely at him and Bryan smiled tentatively back. Suddenly, Bryan became aware of Kai shifting behind him. "Where are you going?" he asked frantically as Kai sat up.

"I'm going to get a drink. You ok staying here?" Bryan nodded slowly and Kai ruffled his hair, smiling as Bryan snapped his teeth at him. As soon as Kai had left the room, Bryan felt the cold, condescending glare of Ray hit him.

"You really think I can't see through you?" The neko-jin growled. Bryan scrambled backwards.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" He mumbled.

"Sucking up to Kai… next minute, you'll be trying to get him on your team again. I know Boris sent you, don't deny it!" Bryan's chest felt tight at the mention of his sensei.

"No… that's not true!" He staggered to his feet.

"The great emotionless Bryan? Some acting. You don't like Kai at all, do you? You're just under orders to make sure he trusts you!" Ray shoved Bryan.

"That's not true! Kai's one of my best friends!" Ray shoved Bryan again. "Don't you touch me! Don't you ever touch me!" Bryan launched himself at the neko-jin, only to be held back by Max.

"Bryan, calm down." The blonde rubbed his arm sympathetically and Bryan felt his blood pressure returning to normal. Tyson glared at the older Russian in disgust.

"Get out of my house! How dare you try to attack one of my friends? Get out of my house!"

Bryan quailed at the look Tyson gave him and he ran for the door, heading out into the pouring rain.

-

_And I give it all away, just to have somewhere to go to, give it all away, just to find someone to come home to…_

-

Seth stepped over the abbey remains again, searching for the bodies of his son's friends.

"Tala? Spencer? Ian? Kasi?" The wind swept the words from his mouth and carried them through the broken building.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Seth spotted something red. Vibrant red. He ran towards that red, shouting at the top of his voice "TALA! TALA!" Nobody moved. He clambered down to the red patch, moving the rocks that covered it.

He drew back in when he'd removed most of the rocks.

It _was_ Tala.

And he wasn't breathing.

-

_This is my December, this is my snow covered home, this is my December, this is me alone…_

-

_Well, what do you think of that, my wonderful reviewers? I have been dreaming about that bit since the story started, the bit with Bryan and the book. I hope you like it…_


	7. Chapter VII: Easier to Run

Devil on the Doorstep

_Well, I'm surprised. No one has killed me yet for the last chapter lol… _

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter VII: Easier to Run

"Where's Bryan?" Kai asked as soon as he came into the room. Ray scowled.

"He left, Kai. Needed to go and see Boris."

"That's not true!" Max ignored the glare Ray sent him. "Ray started shoving him, and then Tyson chucked him out!" Max's eyes widened as Kai brought out his gun again.

"I will deal with you two later. If Bryan is hurt in anyway…" He left the threat open and ran out into the pouring rain, getting soaked in an instant. "Bryan? BRYAN?" He yelled, crimson eyes straining for any sight of the pale teen.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr World Champion." A taller boy stepped in front of Kai.

"Carlos!" Kai pushed his fringe out of his eyes. "Get out of my way."

"Now, why should we do that? We not good enough for you?" Kai rolled his eyes and looked at Stuart, who was most probably the one he had been closest to in the sharks.

"Look, Stuart. One of my best friends is pretty cut up; he's just had a fight with my team mates and has disappeared. He's Russian, and can't read any other language, so I need to find him." Stuart frowned and looked at Carlos.

"Come on, Carlos, there's got to be someone else we can bother."

"You can bother Ray and Tyson if you promise to beat them up?" Kai smirked and ran into the main street. He looked at the street clock. Wasn't as late as he thought. Only about seven thirty. Suddenly, Kai recognised a pale figure standing in a shop doorway. "Bryan?" Bryan turned around in fear. When he saw Kai, he didn't relax. Kai wrapped his arms around the older boy's back, rubbing his hands on the other boy's arms.

"You left me…" Bryan muttered. "Everyone leaves me…"

"Come home, Bry. You're freezing." Bryan shook his head and stared into the shop window. "You want to go in there for a bit? Have a look at the instruments?" Bryan nodded, his eyes lighting up.

"Mr Hiwatari, how may I help you?" The shop assistant looked up as the door opened and jumped to attention when the Russian and Indonesian teens walked in.

"We're just looking." Kai growled, his crimson eyes softening as Bryan picked up a guitar and quietly began to strum it, mouthing words. "How much is that guitar?" He pointed to the one Bryan was using.

"You kidding? That's 400,000 yen (A/N: about $3,375 or £1925). Your little friend has expensive taste." The shop assistant gave him the once over.

"That includes case? And everything else that is needed?" The assistant nodded. "I'll take it." Kai pulled his check book from his back pocket and wrote a cheque. The shop assistant grabbed a case from the back of the till and handed it to Kai. "Bry? We're going." Kai chucked the case at his friend.

"What the… Kai, did you…" Bryan stammered, looking nervously at his friend.

"Put your guitar in the case and let's go. Max will be getting worried."

Bryan raised his eyes to look at Kai. He didn't say anything, but what he wasn't saying was clear. _Thank you_.

-

_If I could change I would take back the pain, I would…_

-

"What? You gave him a guitar?" Bryan closed his eyes and leant against Kai as Ray ranted.

"Well, considering that you chucked him out, I reckoned he deserved it." Kai toyed with Bryan's silver hair gently.

"He launched himself at Ray! He could have killed him!" Tyson argued. Bryan shuddered as the voices grew louder.

"He launched himself at Ray because Ray was threatening him!" Kai yelled back, rubbing Bryan's shoulders.

"Correction, I was trying to find out why he was here!" Bryan had had enough.

"You really want to know why I'm here?" He screamed, scaring himself. "Have you ever had to wake up too scared to go on in the morning, only wanting to die, but knowing you can't die because you don't want to condemn others to death? Have you ever watched your friends die? Knowing that you were supposed to die too, but you didn't…" Tears were slowly falling from the Russian's eyes.

"Bryan!" Kai rubbed the older boy's arms comfortingly, but Bryan shrugged him off.

"My best friends are DEAD!" He sobbed. "Some stuck up, twisted git tortured them all their lives, and then someone decides to bomb them! Do you know how that feels?" DO YOU?" Bryan dropped to his knees, sobs wracking his frame as Kai rubbed his back, wrapped his arms around him. Kai gently lifted him up and took him to the room they shared. Bryan buried his head in Kai's chest, listening to the younger boy's heartbeat.

"Bryan…?" Bryan looked up at his friend. "Who killed them?" he whispered, a single tear cutting across the shark fins on his face.

"I don't know… there was a helicopter, there were lots… and I couldn't read them."

"They were in English? Can you draw the symbols out?" Kai pushed a piece of paper into his hands and Bryan grabbed a pencil, forcing his mind to concentrate. He closed his eyes as the pencil skimmed across the paper. Kai gave an intake of breath. "This… this is the… This is the sign, the sign of the ones that killed my father? Are you sure?" Bryan nodded.

"Why… Do you know it?" Bryan stood up as Kai stood up. "Where are you going?"

"Get the hell out of my way." Kai hissed venomously. "I mean it!"

"Kai…? Where are you?" Bryan edged away, but not fast enough for Kai. Kai raised a hand and struck Bryan across the face, before leaving the room.

Bryan curled up on the floor, tears once again falling from his lavender eyes.

-

_Something has been taken from deep inside of me, the secret I've kept locked away so no one else can see, wounds so deep they never show never go away, like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played…_

-

Seth felt a barrage of horror fill his chest. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a dead body, but every time, they reminded him of the frailness of mortality, of all he'd lost and all he'd betrayed.

He sat down on one of the rocks, hiding his face in his hands. How could he tell Kai this? Kai didn't deserve this, Bryan didn't deserve this, Tala didn't deserve this. No one deserved it.

When he looked up, Tala's lifeless body had gone.

-

_Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past, bringing back those memories I wish I didn't have…_

-

_Soo… what do you think? Am I going to get killed again? Hehe… review!_


	8. Chapter VIII: Forgotten

Devil on the Doorstep

_I'm on a role! Actually, I'm on a sofa, but oh well._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter VIII: Forgotten

"Why did you do it?" Kai burst into the BBA office.

"Hello Kai. I beg your pardon?" Mr Dickinson looked up.

"_Why did you kill my father?_" The Indonesian asked in a voice dripping with venom.

"I beg your pardon? How dare you attach such a thing to me!" Mr Dickinson stood up.

"I've just talked to Bryan. The BBA bombed Balkov Abbey. Innocent people were in there!" Kai balled his fists angrily.

"If they were innocent, then they shouldn't have been there!"

Kai saw red. Fire coursed through his blood and he leapt at the older man, only to be restrained by security.

"You… you MURDERER!" Kai yelled, hands falling limply to his sides.

"Kai, would you rather have those murderous men hanging around?"

"They aren't dead… innocent people died, but you couldn't even kill the right people!"

Kai shook off the security and stormed out the room.

-

_Taken far from my safety, the picture is there, the memory won't escape me, but why should I care…?_

-

Bryan hugged his knees. _I always have to ruin everything… Why did I tell them? It only made Kai angry_. He touched his bruised cheek gently.

"Bryan?" Max bent down beside the elder boy. "You ok?" Bryan nodded. "Well… you hungry?" Bryan thought, before nodding again. "Come on, let's have a look what we got." Bryan followed Max nervously. "Do you know where Kai's gone?" The falcon shook his head. "Can you talk?" Picking up the playfulness in the younger boy's tone, Bryan shook his head again. "Drink? What do you want?"

"Umm… Orange juice please." Bryan took a while on his answer, unused to being asked to choose anything. Max nodded and poured a glass of the liquid, sliding it gently over to Bryan.

"Bryan, could I ask you something?" Max cocked his head. Bryan took a gulp of the juice.

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Would you be able to teach me some Russian?" Bryan, who had previously been trying to see if he could get the tiny drips at the bottom of his glass out, spun around in shock. "It's just, Kai gets really annoying with all his different languages, and I want to be able to say _something_ to him in his native language, because he's always speaking in mine."

"Ok… if you want to, I could teach you some, I guess." Bryan said slowly. "But I've heard people say it's a difficult language…"

"That doesn't matter!" Max chirped, clapping Bryan on the back. "It's only a few words!" Bryan grinned suddenly. It made Max smile even more.

"This is hello…" Bryan scribbled something down on the paper. "_Priv'iet_."

"_Priv'iet_." Max copied obediently.

"And _dosvidanya_ is goodbye." Max stared in confusion at the Russian word on the paper, then echoed it. Suddenly, Kai stormed into the dojo, and into his room. Bryan shrugged apologetically at Max and followed the Indonesian.

"Kai?" Bryan said timidly. Kai looked up, a warm expression on his face.

"Bryan! Come and sit down." He patted the space next to him. Bryan was too scared to do anything but, and he laid his head on the younger boy's chest. "Are you ok?" Kai asked, stroking his hair. Bryan felt tears blurring his vision and Kai held him tighter. "I'm sorry I hit you… I was just angry… Maybe you should stay away from me, you only end up getting hurt." Kai murmured in his ear. Bryan's only reply was to grip Kai tightly, as though he would never let go. "I found out who bombed the Abbey." Bryan looked up quickly. "It was the BBA." Kai's hands shook slightly as he stroked Bryan's hair. Suddenly, Bryan felt a wave of dizziness.

"Kai…" he gasped, pulling away and clutching at his chest.

"Bryan!"

"Kai… I can't breathe…"

-

_Then with the eyes tightly shut, looking through the rust and rot and dust, a spot of light floods the floor, and pours over the rusted world of pretend, the eyes ease open and it's dark again…_

-

Seth's eyes were dry as he looked over the remaining abbey recruits.

"Fadeyka. Look after the young ones." Fadeyka, a boy of about fourteen with long red and orange hair nodded and put an arm around the two youngest; Borya and Brody. "Are you two ok?" Seth bent down to look at them. Brody, who was only about five shrank into Fadeyka, thumb in mouth. Borya, who was a friend of Ian's nodded silently.

Suddenly, Seth felt someone at his back and someone reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "You little RAT!" The Phantom yelled as a young boy began to fun. Seth stumbled after him, yelling behind him "Dima, keep an eye on the rest!"

Seth's breath was coming in gasps as he followed the boy and he swore under his breath. The young boy had stopped by a manhole, and was counting the money from Seth's wallet. Not for the first time, the Phantom wished that he wasn't a Hiwatari.

"Fifty… seventy… one hundred!" The boy crowed. Suddenly, Seth stopped.

"Ian?"

-

_Now you caught me in the act, you bring the thought back, I'm telling you that, I see it right through you…_

-

_Hehe… cliffy! Fadeyka and Dima were the most popular names, so I gave up and put most of them in… enjoy! And please give me some more songs, I desperately need them! Review!_


	9. Chapter IX: Aerials

Devil on the Doorstep

_Hehe… Man, I'm hyper! Just taken my meds lol… and the song in this chapter was given to me by Winter-Rae, again!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter IX: Aerials

"Oh God… Bryan!" Kai ripped off Bryan's shirt, revealing his bandaged ribs. "What the… What did I do to you?" Tears dripped from Kai's vision onto Bryan's face, reviving him.

"Kai…" Bryan took a deep shuddering breath and turned his head, vomiting over the floor. "It hurts…" He whimpered, clinging to the younger boy. Kai stroked his hair gently.

"Can you breathe now?" He said softly. The Russian nodded.

"I feel such an idiot…" Kai gently lifted up the older boy, placing him gently on the bed. But, unusually for him, Bryan wouldn't – couldn't – sleep. So Kai slipped in beside him, wrapping his arms around him. Soon, Bryan's breathing evened and Kai relaxed slightly.

_Mum, what do I do? _The Indonesian thought as Bryan began to gently snore. _Dad can't be dead, he just can't… And Bryan can't live like this! I can't live like this! Please, help me, someone…_

Kai wasn't sure, but he swore he heard someone reply. He shut his eyes and buried his face in Bryan's hair.

_Sleep, my little Phoenix… Everything will be ok…_

-

_Swimming through the void, we hear the word, we lose ourselves, but we find it all…_

-

Bryan opened his eyes to find someone with their arms wrapped around him. He wriggled slightly and realised it was Kai. A look of mock concentration crossed his face and he bit down on the tip of his tongue, protruding from his lip. He poked Kai in the cheek. Unusually, he had to poke Kai three times before he woke up.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Kai mumbled. "You're as bad as Tyson! No, actually, you're worse, because at least Tyson doesn't wake up before me!"

"I'm offended now." Bryan said in a childish voice and he turned away, refusing to look at the Indonesian.

"Aww… come on Bryan! I was just kidding!" Kai chuckled as Bryan's stomach growled.

"Fine… I'll forgive you if you feed me!" Bryan fidgeted as Kai tickled him. "Stop it! You meanie!" Bryan shoved the younger boy playfully – unfortunately, the Russian didn't know his own strength and sent Kai flying to the floor.

"Oww…" Kai gasped as Bryan hid a smile. "It's not funny!"

"The great Kai Hiwatari fell out of bed!" Bryan teased, clambering out. "Now come on, I'm hungry!"

"Hey Bryan… Kai, what are you doing on the floor?" Max poked his head around the partition. Kai growled.

"_Someone_ pushed me out the bed!" Kai sat up, rubbing his back. "That hurt, Bryan Kyznetsov!" Bryan ran out the room, closely followed by Kai. Max smiled as his team captain ran past. "Catch, Bry!" Kai threw him an apple. Bryan caught it easily, but he still cowered slightly, Kai noticed with a frown. "Drink?"

"Yeah… water please." Kai slid the glass across and leant against the wall. Bryan sat down by his feet.

"The other teams are here today." Max poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table. Kai nodded slightly, acknowledging that he'd heard the comment.

Suddenly, there was a scream. Kai bent down in an instant and hugged Bryan to him.

"Mariah!" Lee said in exasperation. "Ray told you Bryan was here!"

"So? It's a bit weird seeing a homicidal maniac in your best friend's house!" Bryan flushed and Kai held him tighter.

"I'd love to stay and continue this battle of wits, but you are obviously unarmed, Mariah!" Kai snapped and walked out, wrapping an arm around Bryan's shoulders. "Are you ok?" He asked when they were alone.

"Yeah, I think so… I just keep trying to remember something Tala told me. It usually makes me feel ok." A tear tracked down Bryan's face as he thought of his lost friend.

"What's that?" Kai rested his head on the Russian's shoulder.

"When someone is annoying you, it takes forty two muscles to frown, but only four to punch their lights out."

-

_In the sky, when you lose small mind, you free your life…_

-

"Seth?" The purple haired blader looked up from the money. Seth almost toppled over as Ian ran into him, throwing his arms around him. The Phantom smiled and placed a hand on Ian's shoulder.

"Glad to see you're alive, little one. Where have you been?"

"Spencer pulled me out… but we think there's something wrong with his arm, he says its fine, but when no one's looking, he rubs it."

"We? Who else is alive?" Seth's voice caught in his throat.

"Kasi… but her leg is broken…" Ian bit his lip.

"And Tala?"

"We've got him… he's breathing, but he hasn't woken up yet. I'll take you to them!" Ian grabbed the cover of the manhole and jumped down. "We're just down here!"

Seth followed nimbly, stumbling only slightly.

"Ian… who are you talking to?" The Phantom's heart skipped a beat as he recognised his adopted daughter.

"It's Seth! He's alive!" There was a scuffling sound and Kasi appeared, tears of joy in her violet eyes. Seth and Kasi may not have been related, but they loved each other almost as much as father and daughter.

"And indeed… Seth is not the only one to have survived…" A deep voice echoed through the tunnel.

-

_So up high, when you free your lives the eternal prize, aerials in the sky…_

-

_Hehe! Another cliffy! I'm so evil lol…_


	10. Chapter X: By Myself

Devil on the Doorstep

_Well, I think everybody knows I am evil now lol… Enjoy the next chapter whilst I hide!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter X: By Myself

"SQUEEE!" Kai smirked as Bryan was knocked back by a red blob.

"Umm… sorry Bryan, Jo's been desperate to see you." Suzy smiled at the two boys warmly. "And I must admit, I've been looking forward to seeing both of you." Kai met Johnny's angry stare with an impassive one of his own.

**/Glad to see you, little Red// **Bryan kissed the top of her head.

**/Can I call you Amethyst// **Jo giggled.

**/Amethyst… sounds like a girl's name. / **Bryan wrinkled his nose.

**/Then, can I call you Ame? You call me Little Red. /**

**/I could call you half pint, if you really wanted// **Jo giggled silently and, thumb in mouth, fell asleep, leaning against Bryan.

"Can I talk to you?" Suzy asked quietly.

"You already are." Kai said, equally quiet.

"No… in private." Suzy flushed as Kai looked up sharply. Kai nodded and told Max to keep an eye on Bryan, and then he followed Suzy out into the corridor.

"What did you want to talk about?" Kai asked awkwardly.

"I… I saw what you did, at the fire. How are your hands?" Suzy took Kai's wrists gently, looking at them.

"They're ok…" Kai coloured slightly.

"You were really brave."

"It was nothing. I bet you'd have done it if it had been Jo, or Johnny in there."

"Don't downplay it, just because you're embarrassed! I – I… I think you deserve a kiss." Kai blushed as Suzy kissed him on the cheek. _Dad, what do I do now? Argh! Mum? Anyone? It's times like this when I wish I wasn't so dysfunctional!_

"You were brave in there… You saved a lot of people when you used your bit beast… Nobody would have been able to get to the door otherwise…" Kai swallowed. Suddenly, his mouth was dry. "I think… I think that deserves a kiss as well…" Suzy looked down, and Kai lifted her chin. Slowly, their lips met in a brief, chaste movement. Suddenly, Kai felt a blinding pain on his cheek and he was thrown to the floor.

"HIWATARI!"

-

_I put on my daily façade but then, I just end up getting hurt again…_

-

Robert and Lee were struggling to hold back Johnny, who was furiously trying to get at Kai.

"How dare you touch my sister?" The red head was roaring. He pulled himself out of the grip the two boys had on him and launched himself at Kai, but something – _someone_ – got in the way and sent Johnny careering into the wall.

Bryan had been taught fighting, but he knew that boxing would not be any use – it would merely be a hindrance, all that below the belt nonsense. So he was street fighting, the way he used to at the Abbey. He was slamming punches into the red head, and the red head was finding it difficult to retaliate, when Lee waded into the fight and grabbed Bryan's arms.

"Whoa! Come on Bryan, it's me, Lee." The neko-jin winced as Bryan turned on him. There was madness in those eyes, and it was scaring Lee to how desperate the Russian was.

"Jonathan Andrew McGregor!" Suzy yelled. "I'm old enough to take care of myself!"

"Shut the hell up, Suzannah!" Johnny replied crisply. "You should have realised that that perverted Russian would have tried to take advantage of you!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, McGregor, because I'm not Russian!" Kai staggered up and hugged Bryan to him, feeling the older boy shake.

"Whatever." Johnny grabbed Kai's shoulder and threw him off Bryan, who rose so the two of them were standing eye to eye.

"Keep to your own business, Johnny." Bryan growled, pushing a lock of his silver hair out his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Johnny grinned sadistically. "And you would know a lot about that. Mind you, I guess I don't know what you're going through. After all, my friends didn't die."

"What?" Bryan gasped, swaying slightly.

"Doesn't it strike you as a bit odd that they chucked you out and then died? Sounds a bit… rehearsed." Johnny's grin grew bigger as Bryan realised what he was getting at. Suddenly, the sound of the helicopters began to appear in Bryan's ears. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "You have no friends! Your so called friends DIED to get away from YOU!" Bryan was screaming as he could hear the screams of pain. Kai flew over to Bryan, stroking his hair and rocking him gently.

"How could you, Johnny?" Max never got angry, but he was angry now. "We've been trying to get Bryan to calm down for days, and he was getting better! Now you've triggered a relapse, who knows what state he could be in?" Johnny shrugged, a smirk on his face.

Kai gently lifted the shaking boy, bridal style, and carried him to the bedroom. Bryan was shuddering as Kai laid him down. The Indonesian pulled the covers over Bryan and watched the shivering form as he fell asleep.

-

_Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness, or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness…?_

-

"Thank you Seth. I have been wondering where these four were hiding." Voltaire Hiwatari stepped from his hiding place.

"You… We trusted you!" Ian yelled in horror. Seth kept silent, the mask hiding his emotions.

"You need to decide, what side you're on!" Kasi screamed as the guards dragged them away.

"You've made your choice, Hiwatari." Spencer said in a low voice as Seth passed. "You've betrayed us twice now, when we next see you, we will treat you as an enemy."

Seth nodded silently and walked away, his velvet cloak flying around his slim figure.

-

_If I turn my back, I'm defenceless, yet to go blindly seems senseless…_

-

_Heeeeee…. Gotta love the squee! And Bryan is going to get much worse… sorry about that!_


	11. Chapter XI: Tell Me It's Not True

Devil on the Doorstep

_Am still running for my life… for the record, I want black roses on my grave._

Devil on the Doorstep, Chapter XI: Tell Me It's Not True

It wasn't until the morning that the full extent of Bryan's condition was revealed. Before, he had been nervous if Kai left his line of vision; now, he was petrified. He was only complacent if Kai, Max or, oddly enough, Lee were within touching distance. He wouldn't talk, not in Russian, not English, nor BSL. Kai kept his nightly vigil on the hard wooden chair, feeling horrifically guilty.

The dojo was almost silent. The rest of the Majestics were blanking Johnny and Lee could see that this wasn't a time for prejudice. The 'Inner Circle' (that is to say, those that Bryan trusted) spent all their time in the wooden floored room, trying to make Kai get some sleep, or trying to persuade Bryan to talk. Needless to say, neither of these attempts worked.

It was Max that remembered the guitar, shoved high up in the living area. He got it out, with the help of Robert, and dragged it into the bedroom. Lee cottoned onto the plan instantly and quickly unzipped the case, pulling out the instrument.

To say Bryan's eyes lit up was an understatement. The look on his face was a far cry from the sullen look he'd worn as a Demolition Boy, and a change from the shy expression he'd had since he arrived in the dojo. The Inner Circle would never forget the look of childlike wonder on his face, nor the magic he summoned when he started to play. It didn't make him talk, but he looked a lot happier.

When the others had gone, Kai talked in Russian to Bryan, telling him that he would never leave him, that they'd be friends forever, and that Kai would help him with what they talked about… if Bryan still wanted to, that is. When that failed, Kai wrapped his arms around Bryan and they both cried for the people they'd lost.

Kai remembered the photo album Seth had left – were there any Demolition Boy pictures in there? He scrambled under the bed for it, when suddenly, he heard Bryan's voice.

"Look out Kai!"

-

_Tell me it's not true, say it's just a story…_

-

Bryan was shaking as he screamed. Again and again.

"SOMEBODY HELP US! SOMEBODY HELP US!" Kai was pale and his eyes were bitter and resolute as he struggled against the man who held him.

Within five minutes, all of the bladers in the dojo had been captured.

"Wouldn't you like to know who betrayed you, Kai? Wouldn't you like to know who told us you were here?" Boris was smiling at the effect he had on the two boys. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped back, revealing a familiar masked figure.

"Dad? No…" The fight went out of Kai in an instant. "Please say this is just one of your sick jokes, Boris! Tell me it isn't true! Dad, please!" Seth raised his head and the look Kai feared was there. It was a look Kai had seen many times on Voltaire, and it was eerily fitting to Seth. "Dad? No… God, Dad, please!" There was contempt in Seth's eyes as he looked at his sobbing son, and he raised the ever present stick and bought it crashing down upon the younger boy's head.

"Come, Balkov. Put the brats in the van and let's hasten our journey to Russia." Was all he said, turning away from the hostile stares of the bladers.

For once, it was Bryan who cradled Kai. The bluenette was unconscious, and Bryan was scared. He hugged the younger boy to him, hoping his warmth would revive the Indonesian.

"Bryan?" Lee turned his head in the darkness of the van. "Are you ok?" Bryan nodded silently. "Are… are you scared?" Bryan nodded again.

"Are you?"

"Very." Lee hugged his knees to himself. "I - I don't like enclosed spaces. And how did Boris manage to find us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ray sneered. "Bryan told him." The aforementioned blader gave Ray a withering stare and stroked Kai's hair.

"Kai's dad set a trap."

-

_Say it's just some clowns, some players in the limelight, and bring the curtain down…_

-

Seth sat bolt upright in the passenger seat of the van.

"No turning back now." Boris sneered. "Your son will never forgive you."

"Shut up."

"It must be some feeling, to know that I know your son better than you ever will. He'll never forgive you. And, now you have turned the Demolition Boys against you, you better look out. Because one day, your father won't be able to watch your back. Then you'll be in trouble."

"I said shut up, Balkov." Seth growled. "I don't need to know a pathetic weakling."

"I always knew you'd come around in the end." Boris chuckled and stroked Seth's arm. Seth pulled away in disgust. "I always knew you'd see Kai as a weakling." The lust filled smile on Boris' face grew bigger as he studied the Phantom's impassive face.

_Who said it was Kai I was referring to?_

-

_Tell me it's not true, though it's here before me, say it's just a dream, say it's just a scene…_

-

_Hehe! I just couldn't resist the wisecrack at the end! I really should have called this 'Third Time Lucky' because that's how many times I changed the name! After today, I don't know how quick the updates will be; because I'm going back to school tomorrow. Don't worry, I will finish the story… I have much more planned for my favourite Russians and Indonesians!_

_Review!_


	12. Chapter XII: In The End

Devil on the Doorstep

_Umm… Has anyone got any plot suggestions? I do have an inkling of what is going to happen, but I'd love to have some more ideas!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XII: In The End

Kai had been almost silent since he had woken up. He'd just sat there, cuddling Bryan to him, staring into the distance. He stiffened as the door opened, and his suspicions were right. It was Seth.

"Get up. All of you." Any expression that may have been on Seth's face was hidden by the full length white mask he was wearing.

"His highness wishes to see you." Boris sneered, coming up behind the Phantom. Seth suddenly turned and brought out a knife from the top of his cane.

"Don't call me that, Balkov. I am higher than you."

"You wouldn't… you aren't allowed…" Boris blanched. Kai and Bryan were quite enjoying seeing their former teacher in a state of fear.

"Murderer, remember?" There was a glint of madness in that eye.

"Seth… I know it is tempting to want to kill Boris, I sympathise, but Boris is not the intended victim here, _is he_?" Seth's eyes narrowed as his father walked into the room.

"Line up." The young man ordered, sheathing his knife and tapping his cane on the floor. "Balkov, go and get the others." Boris obliged, walking out of the room.

Seth walked up and down the row of bladers, smirking slightly. He stopped at Kai. The father and son stared each other down, one in anger, one in indifference. Seth reached out a hand and caressed the younger boy's cheek. Suddenly, Bryan pulled Kai's collar, effectively jerking the Indonesian back.

"Where shall I put them?" Boris walked back into the room, pushing the others.

"Kasi!" The cry was torn out of Kai. Her violet eyes flashed when she saw her brother, but she kept quiet.

"Silent. All of you." Seth added.

"Did you do it?" Kai blurted out. Seth stopped, turned his head and bent down, so he could look the younger boy in the eye. Slowly, he nodded. "Why?"

"It was fun." Seth shrugged, a sly smirk all Kai could see. Boiling with rage, the Indonesian ripped off the mask. Seth didn't blink, just covered his face with a hand until Boris handed him back the mask.

Seth opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head and straightened up, leaving the bladers.

-

_I kept everything inside and even though I tried it fell apart, what it meant to me will eventually be a memory…_

-

"You git!" Bryan choked out when they were left alone.

"What? What did we do?" Ian asked impishly, Tala shrugged.

"You… you masqueraded as dead people! I'm sure that's illegal!" Tala smirked.

"Why aren't you talking?" Tala held out a hand, palm facing down.

"He can't… something to do with the bombing damaged his voice… and Seth stamped on his fingers." Kasi said huskily. Bryan blinked. Now he understood why Tala had held out a hand.

"You need to get them bandaged; otherwise they'll stay like that." He mused. Tala glared at his friend, standard message in his eyes _you don't think I know that?_

Suddenly, the door to the cell opened. It was Seth, again.

He didn't say anything, not audibly anyway, but the room was silent. He strode through the bladers, shoving anyone that got in his way. Roughly, he grabbed Tala's wrist. Tala hung back, nervously.

"Don't argue with me!" Seth snapped and dragged him out the room. Kasi and Spencer exchanged glances.

"Well, well, well… A few more girls this time." Boris chuckled, stepping into the light. "Pretty girls, it must be said…" Kai's eyes glimmered resolutely. Boris grabbed Jo's arm and pulled her towards him. This time, Bryan knew what he was going to do, and as Boris dipped his head towards her, the Russian teen launched himself at Boris, slamming him against a wall.

"Bryan… that is enough." Seth was back in the room, tapping his cane on the floor. "Balkov, come with me." Bryan dropped the older man and stepped away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Tala was back – with bandages on his hands.

-

_I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it doesn't even matter…_

-

Seth reached up and untied his hair, then pulled off his mask. Deftly, he dived into the swimming pool, exerting a powerful front crawl. After his third lap of the pool, he climbed out, painfully aware of the limp which, although made no difference to his swimming, hindered his every movement in his walking.

Not for the first time, Seth let go of the hand rail by the pool and put his foot down firmly, nearly passing out with the pain. Slowly, he took another step and staggered, falling over.

"Well, well… The great Seth Hiwatari at my feet… To what do I deserve the honour?" Seth groaned as he heard Boris' voice. Seth grabbed his stick and pulled himself up, wincing slightly as he did so.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, or does this meeting have a purpose?" Seth asked as he towel dried his abdomen gently, and then moved it onto the back, mindful of his burns. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as Boris laughed.

"Forgive me… I got a little distracted at the sight of your well toned body." Seth flushed and pulled his mask on.

"Speak your purpose, Balkov." Seth's voice cracked slightly.

"Ah, yes… my purpose." Boris drew closer. "You had no right to prevent me from my enjoyment."

"I had every right!" Seth spun around, his grey eye steely and full of fire. "You were molesting her. Balkov, she is ten years old!"

"Seth…" Boris chuckled again. "Drop the good guy act. It really doesn't suit a murderer."

"Murderer I may be, but I am no molester!" Seth looked up at the older man. "I mean it. Leave them alone."

"You can't order me around!" Boris began angrily.

"Balkov, you'll find I can, and I am." Seth's hands were shaking as he clutched the star on top of the stick.

"I will if…" Boris came up behind the Phantom and whispered in his ear. Seth grew paler.

"You'll leave the kids alone?" Boris nodded. Seth swallowed. "Fine… we have a deal."

For the second time, Seth had sold his soul to the devil.

-

_I've put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go, and all for this, there's one thing you should know…_

-

_Dude, that was fun to write! I loved writing Seth's bit, even though he sounded like a swimsuit model lol. A question for you all to consider: Seth, good guy or bad guy? Which way do you swing? Do you like him? Review and tell me!_


	13. Chapter XIII: Stockholm Syndrome

Devil on the Doorstep

_Well, I told you updates would be slapdash!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XIII: Stockholm Syndrome

Kai hugged his knees as he stared around the dark and dingy cell. Once upon a time, he would have called on The Phantom of the Abbey to help him, but now he knew better. Bryan was curled up next to him, and the crimson eyed blader was scared for his friend. Because, to escape from the place of your nightmares, and then be dragged screaming back, was hell. And he wasn't sure how much more Bryan could take, before he cracked and went the way the only people who legally escaped the Abbey did – the mental asylum.

Lee forced a smile as Kai looked at him. But it soon wilted under Kai's intense glare. The neko-jin was scared, no matter how much he tried to hide it, and Kai had no sympathy for him.

Kai felt someone looking at him – from his back. No one in the room was looking at him, and there were no CCTV cameras in the cells… Kai took a deep breath and looked behind him, meeting a familiar grey eye as it looked through a slit in the wall. Kai swore under his breath. The eye had no hatred in it, nor anger. Just a calm amusement, as if seeing his son in a cell was a highly entertaining thing. A piece of wood was then drawn across the gap, and Kai was left with a simple sentence.

_All is not what it seems…_

-

_Afraid of the dark, do you hear me whisper, an empty heart replaced with paranoia…_

-

Bryan scrambled to his feet as Seth and Boris entered, Seth first, then Boris. Kai was shivering slightly, though from cold or fear the Russian couldn't tell.

Seth was still wearing the full length skeleton mask – the 'Masquerade' mask as the older Russian called it, but his hands were shaking and he no longer met anyone's eyes. Despite himself, Bryan was intrigued. What was wrong with the Phantom? And this time, it was clearly Boris who was the dominant figure. Seth seemed so much younger, and Bryan couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear for him.

The Phantom's grey eye swept across the row of bladers, betraying no emotions as it did so. Like before, he stopped at Kai. By this time, Kai was shaking so violently that it was noticeable, and Bryan was pretty sure it was from fear. Pure fear, that makes you want to scream, but freezes your throat so you can't. As Bryan was next to Kai, he saw the look in Seth's eye as he bent down. There was no hatred as the father looked at the son, just such powerful love. Kai looked coolly at his father, and Seth opened his mouth to say something, and then shook his head. He left quickly, just turning before he exited the room and said calmly "Keep your hand at the level of your eyes." And then he disappeared into the cavernous darkness.

Boris' eyes gleamed in a way that the Demolition Boys and Kai remembered – and feared. His eyes swept along the row and they could see he was weighing up their various merits, trying to figure out whose soul would be the most fun to break. He stopped at Lee, and his mouth curved into a smile. He grabbed the neko-jin's arm and pulled him out of the room. Tala and Bryan looked at each other nervously, but they knew there was nothing they could do.

Kai slumped down in the corner he'd been sitting in before, and curled up as tight as he could, trying to stop himself from shaking. But he couldn't stop. He was just so scared. Bryan and Kasi squeezed up either side of him and Bryan wrapped an arm around him, whilst Kasi stroked his hair. Soon, Kai began to drift, feeling almost safe…

… But then he was brought back down to earth with a bump when he felt the same prickly feeling as before. He twisted around suddenly, and met again with the grey eye. It seemed to be telling him something; _move out the way_. Kai obliged, letting Seth see the full company of them. For a few minutes, the Phantom's eye flickered around the room, and then the gap was filled in. Kai leant back against the wall in exhaustion, not expecting what came next.

The door flew open and Seth came in.

"_Where's Lee?_" He demanded.

-

_You're cold with disappointment, whilst I'm drowning in the next room…_

-

Seth threw open the door to Boris' confinements, shaking in anger. He knew what he was going to see before he saw it – Boris kissing – touching – Lee.

"Get the hell off him, Balkov!" Seth yelled, gripping his cane tightly. Lee looked down, ashamed, and that just made Seth angrier.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Boris retorted, clambering up with a sigh. But that was a mistake; Seth was twenty years younger than Boris, and agile with it. The Phantom grabbed Lee's wrist and pulled him away from the older man.

"We had a deal Balkov…" Seth's voice was dripping with anger. Boris just shrugged and turned away. Seth rolled his eye and closed the door, loosening his grip on Lee's wrist. The neko-jin followed, head hanging in shame. Seth took the boy to his own quarters, shutting the door behind him. Lee stood in the middle, bitter tears coursing down his face. "You'll stay here tonight." Seth said curtly, deliberately not looking at the boy. "I daresay you are in need of a good sleep." Lee curled up obediently on the bed, and the sobs grew louder as he tried to suppress them. "Please don't cry." The Phantom said softly. "It's not your fault. I know you feel… dirty and used, but please don't blame yourself. It's my fault." Lee tried to stop, but the feeling of Boris' touch was still strong, and the tears would not go. Seth patted his arm awkwardly, unused to dealing with children. As the sobs continued, Seth grew slightly more accustomed, and stroked the neko-jin's hair gently. Then, he pulled the covers over the boy and watched him sleep.

-

_I'm so lost, I'm barely here, I wish I could explain myself, but words escape me…_

-

_Hmm… not too bad… Naughty Boris!_


	14. Chapter XIV: Track Down This Murderer

Devil on the Doorstep

_Umm… no comment._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XIV: Track Down This Murderer

"It can't be by accident…" Kai looked at Kasi, deep in thought. "But… I don't think D- Seth would leave the door open by accident… he's not that careless."

"We can't delay!" Johnny argued. "It doesn't matter if it's by accident or not, Boris can' take on all of us!"

"He can and he will." Spencer said sombrely. "He's done it before." Suddenly, the door slammed shut.

"Dammit, Kai!" Johnny slammed his fist into the wall. "We could have got out!"

"Hang on a minute… something Seth said earlier…" Kai's smooth brow was furrowed as he thought. "_Keep your hand at the level of your eyes…_" Suddenly, Kai stood up, raising his hand so it was at the level of his eyes. He placed it on the wall directly in front of him and pushed. To his surprise, the whole wall swung away. "An entrance to the Phantom's Lair!"

"But… how do we know Seth can be trusted? I mean… he's betrayed us before…" Bryan mused quietly.

"Yes, but there's something up with him, you said so yourself Bry." Kai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And after the way he treated Lee…" The tanned neko-jin flushed and looked down at the ground.

"I'll go first." He said quietly. "But… if anyone gets caught down there, the others run, ok? If some of us get out, then we can get the others out from the outside." The others nodded. It sounded like a good idea. Lee grabbed a torch from the side of the wall and padded down the corridor, his eyes keen. The others followed silently, when there was a cry from the end.

"Spencer!" Kasi yelled. Spencer's eyes were bulging as Boris held a hand across his mouth. The burly blonde gave a spinning kick and slammed the wall back into position.

"Run!" Kai gave the order and began to run alongside Lee, remembering the old routes.

"We'll be back for you Spence!" Bryan shouted before breaking into a run.

-

_Down once more to the dungeons of my black despair, down we plunge to the prison of my mind, down that path into darkness deep as hell…_

-

"Who told them?" Voltaire growled angrily, striding in front of his son and his associate. Spencer snuck a look at Seth, who was back to his usual cocky self. The Phantom caught the younger boy looking at him and flashed him a quick smirk. Spencer smiled back, equally quick.

"With all due respect, sir, it wasn't me." Boris gripped Spencer's arm tighter. "I caught them trying to escape."

"Seth? Was it you?" All eyes were on the Phantom.

"Yes." He said calmly.

"What?"

"I told Kai. And the police received an anonymous tip off." Voltaire's eyes narrowed and he struck the younger man. Hard. Seth bit down on his lip to stop himself from crying out. Voltaire ripped off the mask, revealing Seth's malformed face. But it looked worse than usual, Spencer noticed. It looked dryer and much more painful. There was a cut on the other side of his face, where Voltaire had struck him.

"Put that brat in the cell, Boris. And take my son to the torture chamber." Spencer winced in sympathy for Seth, who didn't even blink.

A little while later, the door to the dark room was opened, and the Phantom was thrown in. Spencer crawled over and looked at the older man. It was the worst sight he'd ever seen.

The disfigured side of Seth's face was bloody and scarred. His shirt had been torn off, exposing the burns on his back. His chest had been whipped raw, and his grey hair was loose and matted with blood. As Spencer watched, his head lolled slightly, and a trickle of blood escaped down the side of his mouth. His eye was closed, and, by the looks of it, they had taken out the glass one. But it wasn't that which scared Spencer. It was the sheer helplessness of the indestructible Phantom, the fact that he'd been humiliated. Seth had always taken such pride in his appearance and for the Phantom to be shown like this was pitiful and disgusting.

Spencer felt a powerful hatred for Boris and Voltaire rising up again.

-

_Why do you ask was I bound in chains in this cold and dismal place? Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face…_

-

Seth's eyes fluttered open and he looked around the dark room as the door opened.

"Moscow Police!" Someone called. Seth was brought back to earth with a bump and stood up. Wincing, he began to run, pushing past the men who amassed around the entrance to the room.

_Dammit…_ he thought as he staggered. _I don't want to be caught… I can't go to prison, I can't! _

"Somebody stop him!" He heard the police yell. Seth winced as he stopped, a few metres

from Kai.

"It's over, Seth." The younger boy said calmly. "Hand yourself in. You're a murderer."

"I would rather die." Seth spat through bloodied lips.

"That can be arranged." Kai smirked, bringing out a knife. For Seth, it was like he had seen the way out.

"Going to kill me then?" He rasped. "I'm not surprised… must be like seeing yourself in the mirror every time you look at me." Kai's brow furrowed in confusion. "We're both so power hungry, _my son_, and it shows in everything we do."

"Shut up!" Kai yelled.

"And we're both Black Dranzer wielders… I bet you didn't know the Black Dranzer is a reincarnation of Bryoni Giry? I wonder what it must be like to have your own mother attack you-" Seth was cut off by Kai launching himself at him. A brief tussle ensued, which Kai won. "And now I'm staring death in the face." The Phantom chuckled. Kai raised the knife, to bring it plunging down into Seth's chest, but he faltered. "Can't quite bring yourself to end a life? Let me help you Kai. You know I said that it wasn't the traditional master and servant relationship between us? I lied. She begged and screamed to go back to Russia."

"But my memories…" Kai gasped.

"Are all fake. You are an experiment of Biovolt. The very first." Kai screamed as he was pulled off Seth.

"Let me at him!" He struggled against Bryan's strong arms. "Let me kill him!"

The last Kai saw of his father was the Phantom being dragged away.

-

_Track down this murderer, he must be found, track down this murderer, he must be found…_

-

_Sooo… is it going to be a happy ending for Kai? Who do you feel sorry for now? What do you think of Seth now; good guy or bad guy? Lol, I almost typed 'good guy or bad gay?'_

_Review and tell me… Seth isn't gay… And you know the bit where Seth replied nice and calm to Voltaire? That happened in English, except it was more Teacher: Jezz, are you reading? Me: Yes._

_Review!_


	15. Chapter XV: Backstabber

Devil on the Doorstep

_BUT DOGS CAN'T ANSWER TELEPHONES!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XV: Backstabber

"Name?" The receptionist looked up from her desk.

"Kai Hiwatari… I'm here to see Seth Hiwatari. He requested a meeting." If Kasi hadn't placed such high importance on hearing Seth's side of the story, then Kai wouldn't have come.

"Ah yes… he's at the screen at the end. I warn you, it's not a very nice sight, but rules are that nobody can obstruct their face at the prison." Kai nodded and pushed the door open.

It would have made him laugh, he thought as he walked down the long hall. It had only been the other day that him and his friends had watched the third instalment of the 'Naked Gun' Trilogy and Bryan and Ian's favourite catch phrase of the moment was 'But dogs can't answer telephones!' But this occasion was anything but hilarious.

Kai noticed the change in Seth the minute he sat down. The man was thin and withdrawn, and his hair had been combed over in front of his disfigurement. However, the eye that greeted Kai was as sharp as ever.

"It's good of you to come. I didn't think you would." The Phantom muttered quietly.

"If I had my way, I would never see you again. But Kasi wanted me to see what pitiful excuse you had, so here I am." Seth flinched at the venom in the younger boy's voice.

"You want to know why I did what I did." He smiled sadly.

"Yes." Kai glared at the older man. Seth reached out and took the young boy's hands in his.

"You've got to understand. I – I'm not as strong as you."

"I don't understand anything about you!" Kai wrenched his hands away.

"You do, you just don't want to." A tear tracked down Seth's face as he looked at the younger boy. "Three weeks after we disappeared, I was in the Abbey. Not with the children, but under the Abbey itself. Ironically, it was quite near the lair." Seth steadied his breathing before he continued. "They'd been trying for weeks to get me to talk, or rather, Father had. It was the minute he brought Balkov in that changed everything." Seth's voice had gone so quiet that Kai had to lean forward to listen to him. "Balkov… he… he touched me." Tears were streaming down the Phantom's face at this point. "And I couldn't take it… I told him."

"Right. So Boris molests you and you go over to his side. Coward." Kai spat. "And why were you the way you were afterwards?" Seth was silent for a long time, a wry smile on his face.

"If someone said you… threw a ball hard to them, next time you passed to them, what would you do?"

"Throw it harder. But what has that got to do with anything?"

"Everything… everything and nothing. Like you, I play up to stereotypes. And people were saying I was bad… so I was bad." Seth shook his head. "I knew what I was doing, and I tried to fight it… I had my limits. But it was too late. So I left you with a clue, hoping you were smart enough to work it out. And you were, and you got out. End of story."

"No it isn't! What about what you said about my mum?"

"I wanted to die. And you wanted to kill me. And I wish you had. Death would be better than being in this place."

"I don't believe you! You've lied to me too many times!"

"I swear to you, Kai, I am not lying now. I love you, and I hate myself for hurting you." Seth's eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.

"That makes two of us. I _hate_ you. I never want to see you again. Goodbye, Seth." Kai stood up, and walked off without a second glance.

-

_Backstabber, hope grabber, god, I feel for you, fool?_

-

Whilst Kai was visiting Seth, Tala and Bryan both had to have emotional therapy. And boy were they looking forward to it.

Tala still hadn't spoken a word. Bryan wasn't sure how long they'd been in the cell, but he estimated it was about two weeks. Add onto that the week he'd stayed at the Bladebreakers, plus the three weeks he'd travelled to get there and you had six weeks of Tala being silent, which was very unusual.

"Now, I am Dr. Sawtell and my associate is Dr. Jones." The man with the messy blonde hair said, holding out his hand. Bryan took it nervously.

"I'm Bryan Kyznetsov, and this is Tala Ivanov." They sat down.

"Now, Tala, lets start with you." Tala and Bryan exchanged glances. "So you've been in this Abbey all your life?"

"Eleven years." Bryan corrected.

"Right." Dr Jones shot the silver haired blader a dirty glare. "And did you have any friends there apart from Bryan?"

"He had Kai, Kasi, Ian and Spencer." Bryan replied icily.

"Excuse me, but I was talking to Tala. Would you kindly keep your views to yourself?" Bryan took a deep breath and controlled his temper.

"Well, if you'd read the case notes, you would have found that Tala can't talk."

-

_You always struck me as the type to take it lightly, but now you gonna have to shut your mouthor fight me…_

-

Seth slumped against the side of his cell, a rope in his hands. He closed his eyes.

_I **hate** you. I never want to see you again. Goodbye, Seth. _Seth's eyes clouded over with tears.

"How could I be so stupid?" He said aloud. "Seth Hiwatari. Prize idiot." With shaking hands, he tied the piece of rope to the rafters of the room, which he reached by standing on a chair. He tied the other end in a noose.

_Like yellow parchment is his skin, a hole stands for the nose that… never grew. You must always be on your guard, for he will find you, with his magic lasso… _Seth slipped his neck into the noose.

"Goodbye Kai." With that, he kicked the chair away.

-

_Backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber, backstabber,failure hasmade you so cruel…_

_-_

_Oooo… what has Seth done? And what will Kai do? Will the therapy help Bryan? Will Tala ever talk again? Will I ever stop asking questions and update?_

_Tell me what you think guys! Answer the questions! (And yes, we all know the answer to the last one is 'no'!) And the 'Dogs can't answer telephones!' line is © Chu-Chi Face, aka Koren! (Yes, the one who writes as Kai in Bryan's Diary!)_

_Review!_


	16. Chapter XVI: This Flesh A Tomb

Devil on the Doorstep

_Wow… I'm surprised… The teacher who hates me gave me a 1A in my last project (that's the highest mark)… and it mainly consisted of Fan fiction! Bet she didn't realise that! Let's see… ok, it was all ff. I wrote a spin off from POTA – Look out for when I type it up!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XVI: This Flesh a Tomb

Kai had just got home when the phone rang.

"Hello?" he asked as he kicked off his shoes.

"Is that Kai Hiwatari?" An official sounding voice asked.

"Yes… can I help you?" He said politely.

"I believe you know Seth Hiwatari?" The voice continued without waiting for an answer. "This is Bakuten Hospital. Mr Hiwatari was brought in about fifteen minutes ago. He's being treated for asphyxiation."

"Asphyx-" Kai sat down heavily.

"He was found hanging from the ceiling. We are treating this as a suicide attempt. What is your relationship with Mr Hiwatari?" Kai realised his hands were shaking.

"Suicide…" he breathed. "Oh, he's my father."

"I'm very sorry, Mr Hiwatari. I suggest you come here straight away. It… it's not looking too hopeful."

"Right… I'll get there as soon as I can." Kai put the phone down and held his head in his hands. "Tyson!" He yelled shakily. "Training is off today!" He slammed the door and made his way to the hospital. It only took about five minutes.

"Yes, can I help you?" The receptionist looked up.

"My father, Seth Hiwatari, was brought in about half an hour ago… He… he's being treated for… asphyxiation." The receptionist nodded.

"It's the first room on your right. I assume you know about Mr Hiwatari's… problem?" Kai raised an eyebrow, then realised that the girl was talking about Seth's disfigurement. He didn't warrant that with an answer and sprinted down the corridor. He paused before he opened the door, and his eyes filled with tears. He had only just grasped the enormity of the situation. Seth… _his dad_… could _die_. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.

He crossed the room quickly and sat in the chair beside his father. He took one of the cold hands in his.

"Hey Dad." He said quietly. "I realise I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but that's just the way it is. I… I didn't mean it when I said I hated you, I hope you realise. I didn't know you were… so… desperate…" To his horror, he realised he was crying. "Please don't die, Dad. I _need _you, even if I am an ungrateful brat. And more than me… The Demolition Boys need you, and the rest of the kids at the abbey. I know it was bombed, but it'll be back, you realise that? The Abbey needs its Phantom, and so do the Children. I don't want to have Voltaire as my only relation. I… I want someone who actually _loves _me. Unconditionally, no matter how many times I throw it back in their face. You die Dad… You die and I will _kill_ you. Cliché as it sounds. So, I'll be seeing you, yeah?" Kai gently ran a hand around the side of Seth's malformed face and pressed his lips to the elder man's forehead. As he passed the guards, he heard a snippet of conversation that made his blood run cold.

"Do you know why he did it?" Asked one of them. The other lowered his voice before replying.

"Well, don't spread it around, but I've been his guard since he arrived at the prison. Most guys get lots of visitors, but this guy only got one. He requested it himself. He was really excited before this meeting, kept saying that his son was coming, and he couldn't wait to see him. Well, not in so many words, he's rather posh, but I got the gist."

"And it was after this that he tried it? Must have been one hell of a meeting."

"He was very quiet afterwards. I'm guessing the son isn't as brilliant as the guy believed."

Kai shut the door and leant against the wall, trying to block out what he'd just heard. _It was my fault… I killed my father… And I killed my mother… I'm the murderer here, not Dad!_

He began to walk, still thinking of what he'd just heard. He didn't want to go back to the dojo and lots of awkward questions. Not ever. Suddenly, he stopped.

_Oh look… a bridge…_

-

_I feel eyelashes on my cheek and they lacerate my flesh, a pain so good..._

-

"Try this. What's this, Mr Ivanov?" Tears of humiliation glimmered in Tala's eyes as the psychiatrist picked up another flash card. Bryan glared at them angrily, but they ignored him. Tala opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The two psychiatrists went into a huddle and Bryan drew Tala into a hug.

"Ignore these two loonies." He muttered in his friend's ear, feeling his shoulder going wet with tears. "You are intelligent, just the shock of being bombed has obviously damaged you in some way." Tala nodded and gave him a shaky grin. Then, suddenly, his sharp ears picked up what the other two were saying.

"It's definitely fear. It's obvious that Kyznetsov has something over on the poor boy. See those bandages? Must have been him." Bryan's hearing wasn't as good as Tala's, but he got the gist. He flushed and looked down at his lap, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to trickle down his face.

Tala frowned as he heard the psychiatrists. How dare they even insinuate that Bryan had something to do with it? He stood up angrily and walked to the one who had made the comment. He tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes?" Doctor Sawtell asked. His answer was a punch in the face.

"Man, that felt good." Tala said.

-

_Take me away, kill me slowly, I'll never be the same..._

-

Seth? The Phantom looked up, to see a familiar figure walking towards him. Seth, honey, it's me! Bryoni! Bryoni wrapped her arms around his body, like they used to do when they were younger.

Bry! It's so good to see you… It won't be much longer until we're together for good. Seth said, stroking her hair. He frowned as she drew away.

Seth, you can't come yet. It's not your time. Kai needs you. I know you don't think so, but he does. Bryoni rubbed his hands within hers.

Bry… I can't stay there. It's hell on earth for a guy like me. Seth brought her hands to his lips.

Seth, you can't see outwards, but I can. At this moment, Kai is on Bakuten Bridge. He's going to jump! Seth, you have to wake up! Already, Bryoni was fading.

Bryoni…

Seth, wake up!

Kai…

WAKE UP!

Seth…

WAKE UP! SETH, WAKE UP!

Seth's eyes snapped open and he sat upright.

-

_I swear to you, on everything I am, and I dedicate to you all that I have, and I promise you, I will stand right by your side, forever and always..._

-

_So Seth isn't dead… yet. This was fun to write! Any complaints/criticisms, please tell me! Ooo… Just four more chapters to go, guys… what do you think will happen? Please tell me!_


	17. Chapter XVII: Suicide Solution

Devil on the Doorstep

_Sorry guys, Fan fiction is really playing up for me at the minute. I can't update any stories and I can't reply to reviews. So sorry all you guys who didn't get a reply! As I said to someone… I think it was Winter-Rae, who's just gone home and left me… aww, just kidding, anyway, there are two stories that will lead on from this one, one's a GX and the other's a post G-Rev. They'll be fun to write. And I dedicate this chapter to my boyfriend Phil, who likes Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne!_

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XVII: Suicide Solution

Kai climbed up the side of the bridge, feeling the wind beat through his body. He was clinging to the outside of the bridge, just another victim to be lost to the waves beneath it.

"Kai!" He heard someone yell. _Dammit, not now… _He ignored the speaker and readied himself to jump. Suddenly, he felt someone behind him. Kai growled angrily and jumped.

But someone grabbed his arm and pulled him close. It couldn't be…

"Dad?" Kai twisted around, his boots hanging onto the spikes that stuck up from the bridge, meant to detract potential suicide victims, but they just wore heavy boots.

"None other." Seth smirked. His feet were killing him, but he wasn't going to mention that.

"Let me go, Dad!" Kai squirmed against the Phantom's grip.

"No can do, Kai." Seth just held him tighter. "Not until you tell me why."

"You're lying." Kai stated.

"Yep, how did you guess?" Seth was a mess, but he'd never looked better.

"Let go of me! I want to get out!"

"Not gonna happen. If you jump, I jump." The Phantom's mouth was firm, and his grip even more.

"What do you care? You tried to kill yourself to get away from me! Let go!"

"No." That single word made Kai even angrier.

"Then I'll take you down with me!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"I've taken down Tala, and he's the same size as you!"

"Yes, but did Tala have his feet _firmly embedded _in Bakuten Bridge?" The way Seth said those words made Kai look down. He gasped. Firmly embedded weren't the words Kai would have used. More like 'stuck on spikes'. Kai became acutely aware of the pool of blood he was standing in.

"Leave me alone!" Kai said through gritted teeth.

"Do you want me to hit you?" Seth replied mildly. Kai bit back a smile. Now _this_ was the Seth he knew.

"Dad! Let me go!"

"Not going to happen. And, for the record, I didn't try to die to get away from you; I thought I'd be doing you a favour. Plus, I didn't like the food."

"You're lying." Seth gently stepped down of the bridge, wincing as his injured foot hit the ground. He held out a hand for Kai.

"Come on Kai. Let's get back."

"No!"

But, as Kai watched, something happened. Seth's handsome face grew pale and he looked at his bloodstained feet.

"Oh God… I think I may have overdone it…" He whispered before he hit the floor.

-

_Then you ask from your cask, is there life after birth, because what you saw could mean hell on earth…_

-

"What?" Bryan slammed his hands down on the desk. The receptionist cowered away at the sight of two extremely angry Russians. "What do you mean, you've lost him?"

"How can you lose a patient?" Tala hissed venomously.

"Well, sirs, he was being treated for asphyxiation – he was in a coma, but he suddenly woke up and ran out the door…" She trailed off, miserably aware of the hospitals failure.

"And you haven't checked for him? I mean, for God's sake! He can't walk without a stick!" Tala placed a hand on Bryan's shoulder. He could hear something.

"Help! Somebody help me!" A muffled voice yelled in panic. Bryan and Tala looked at each other. It sounded like –

"KAI!" The two Russians yelled as the Indonesian ran into the room, carrying an unconscious Seth, blood dripping from his feet.

-

_Evil thoughts and evil doings, cold alone you hang in ruins, thought you'd escape the reaper, but you can't escape the master keeper…_

-

Seth groaned as his eyes opened.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"Dad! You're ok!" Kai was by his side in an instant. Seth rose himself to a sitting position and enveloped his son in his arms.

"Thought the better of jumping, did you?" He chuckled. "I'll bet Bryoni would be pleased!" Kai smiled and burrowed his head in Seth's thin chest.

And, out of the corner of his eye, Seth could see a young girl, her blue hair tied back, her crimson eyes sparkling and a look of longing on his face.

-

_Suicide is slow with liquor, take a bottle drown your sorrows, then it floods away tomorrow…_

-

_Only three chapters left! Why should we worry, why should we care, we may not have a dime, but we got street savoir faire! Whoops, sorry, just finished watching Oliver And Company… man I love that movie! And now my net's playing up so I can't even upload this grrr… Read and Review!_

_Oh yes... Competition Time!_

_Have a think guys, wrack your brains! I need a title for the sequel to this one. Preferably something from lyrics, but I don't know many songs that would fit... the sequel is going to be just like its predecessors, nice and sad and angsty. So have a think guys, you have three chapters!_


	18. Chapter XVIII: Everything Burns

Devil on the Doorstep

_Nothing to say about this chapter… Oh yeah, it won't be like all the others, most of this will be in Seth's Third POV._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XVIII: Everything Burns

Seth entered the room silently, his grey hair combed over his disfigured face. He sat down, flanked by two guards, and scanned the room for his son, who was sitting in the front row, next to Bryan and Lee. His hands were chained in front of him and he winced as his foot hit the ground.

"All rise for His Eminence Justice Bob Geldof." Someone called. A portly old man stepped into the room. Seth shivered. There was something about that old man which reminded him of his father.

Seth walked at a painstaking pace towards the witness box, delighting in the fact he was annoying his captors.

"Name?" The witness for the prosecution asked when he had finally sat down.

"Seth Dimitri Hiwatari."

"Date of Birth?"

"October 9th, 1976."

"Nationality?"

"Russian. Archangel." Everything Seth said was in a clipped tone, every word measured.

"Next of kin?"

"Kai Erik Alexander Hiwatari." Kai sat up. Where the hell did the 'Erik' come from?

"How do you plead to two charges of Grievous Bodily Harm, twenty charges of kidnapping and one of attempted rape?" Seth stared at Kai, gaining hope from the younger boy.

"Not guilty." He replied unwaveringly. The prosecution wrinkled his nose. "May I have a boon granted?" Seth continued.

"Depends on the nature. What is it?" The judge leaned forward in spite of himself.

"I wish to have my mask." Kai put a hand in his pocket and fingered the delicate object.

"Absolutely not!" Seth winced and looked down. "That is one of the most absurd requests I have ever heard. And pray reveal your face, the rules in this courtroom are to not obstruct your countenance." Seth brushed the heavy fringe away with a shaking hand. A gasp rang around the courtroom as he looked up, revealing the empty eye socket and abnormal face.

"Good heavens!" The prosecution placed a handkerchief to his face in horror. Seth's eye glimmered with tears on humiliation. "I would like to bring the first witness to the stand." Kai stood up, that was his cue.

-

_He no longer cries to himself, no tears left to wash away, just diaries of empty pages, feelings gone astray…_

-

"Name?" The prosecution was really getting on Kai's nerves.

"Kai _Erik_ Alexander Hiwatari." Kai pronounced his new middle name carefully.

"What is your relationship with the accused?"

"He's my father."

"Now, Kai – can I call you Kai?" Kai nodded silently, the very epitome of his father. "I understand that there are two charges which relate to you, one of GBH and one of kidnapping. Is this so?" Kai nodded again. "Did this man kidnap you?" Kai looked across the room to Seth. He closed his eyes. _Please, God, forgive me…_

"N-no." Kai choked out. Seth's head jerked upwards. Kai met his eyes coolly. **"Not the way I see it anyway, more like… borrowed." **He added, smirking. Seth quickly looked down, to hide the smile on his face.

"I beg your pardon?" The prosecution's mouth opened so wide his glasses fell off his nose.

"Oh dear, is your age affecting your hearing?" Kai smirked. "I said no. Nada, nein, nyet, non, umm… NO!"

"Very well, did this man harm you in anyway?"

"Umm… yes." Kai was struggling frantically to hide a sneer; he just _loved_ infuriating older people.

"How?"

"He decided to try and stop me committing suicide." Seth rolled his eye.

"Right… you may go." The prosecution was really wishing he hadn't picked up this case.

"**_And let that be a lesson, boys and girls."_** Kai said as he walked down. **_"Even if you have just seen the Phantom of the Opera, don't forget to make your witness swear or you will get a load of mumbo-jumbo!" _**Seth shook his head in admiration for the younger boy.

"I call the next witness, Lee Laan, to the stand." Lee stood up nervously as Kai slid into his seat. He staggered up to the witness box. "Do you, Lee Laan, swear on the bible to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"…No." Lee said calmly, even though his hands were shaking.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I refuse to swear on something that means nothing to me. I am not a Christian." Lee hooked a thumb under one of his fangs and winked.

"Then what religion are you… Muslim? Hindu? Scientologist?"

"None of them." Lee was beginning to get into this whole 'irritating as hell' routine. "I'm a Confucian. I follow the teachings of … " The prosecution looked confused. Lee sighed. "Look, how about I just swear on my honour?"

"Very well." Lee's hands began to tremble again as they got onto the important bit of the interview. "Did this man touch you in anyway?" The prosecution pointed to Seth. Lee groaned inwardly. Now he had to tell the truth.

"Yes…" He whispered inaudibly.

"And how did he touch you? Do you have any idea _why_?"

"He touched my arm and stroked my hair, to try and stop me crying." Lee replied stoutly. No one doubted his words.

"And why were you crying, Lee?" The prosecution attempted to fake a concern.

"I…" Lee took a shuddering breath. "Someone tried to _rape_ me… I felt so…" Tears glimmered in his amber eyes.

"Leave him alone!" Seth suddenly shouted. "You've received the information you want, now let him be!" The prosecution nodded at Lee, who walked away.

-

_Walking through life unnoticed, knowing that no one cares, too consumed in their masquerade…_

-

"I want to call my first witness for defence." Seth stated, pronouncing every syllable, which he knew from experience really annoyed people in charge.

"And who would want to stick up for such a pathetic worm as you?" Bob Geldof hissed.

"I call Spencer Demonov to the stand, if he wishes." Spencer nodded and stood up, crossing the room quickly.

"Name?"

"My name is Gay, but you can just call me Koren." Spencer replied crisply, quoting one of the many lines Tala had come up with. "Actually, it's Spencer Demonov."

"Age?"

"Twenty."

"Old…" Bob mused. "Old is good…"

"And that's what makes you great!" Seth burst out laughing.

"What can you tell me about Mr Phantom of the Opera over there?"

"He doesn't like you. And he's dangerous with a bottle opener." Seth rolled his eye and started hitting his head on the wooden frame of the box. "Oh yeah… he's obsessed with Phantom of the Opera… to the extent he has a wicked cool lair. And his favourite colour is purple." Seth raised his head.

"It is?" He asked.

"Is now." Spencer replied firmly.

"About the case." The prosecution said through gritted teeth.

"Oh… Not much then." Seth rolled his good eye.

"What do you know?"

"That Seth risked his life to get us lot out. And that he drew Boris' attention away from me by using himself as a distraction. And that, despite the fact that Voltaire removed all ligaments, tendons and cartilage in his left foot, he still ran half a mile to save Kai, and then stood barefoot on the edge of Bakuten Bridge and got his feet impaled by half and inch spikes. Not exactly the work of a kidnapper, is it?" The prosecution gaped at Spencer as he strode down the steps and back to sit down beside Tala, and then proceeded to hit Ian across the head as he snickered.

"Is this true?" Seth nodded silently.

"All true, and all happened in the past three weeks."

"Umm… I want to call the next witness to the prosecution. Tala Ivanov." Tala stood up, his head held high, cerulean eyes like chips of ice.

"Name?"

"Oglington Fartworthy."

"Name?"

"Tala Ivanov."

"Age?"

"Older than you."

"_Age?_"

"Fifteen."

"What can you tell me concerning Malformed over there and the case?" Tala's eyes narrowed as Seth flushed.

"Nothing much, other than the fact he was the one that fixed my fingers."

"What happened?"

"I broke them."

"How?"

"Umm… A Phantom stepped on them." It wasn't a lie exactly; no one knew the Phantom was Seth…

"You mean Ugly over there stepped on them?" Dammit.

-

'_Till everything burns, and everyone screams, burning their lies, burning my dreams…_

-

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" Prosecution was working himself up.

"Why don't you tell me? I can tell you are dying to." Seth glared back.

"You say you are thirty, yes?" Seth nodded briefly. "Your son is fifteen." Another nod. "Then you had your son at the age of fifteen… this is not looking good for your case. A sexual predator at the age of fifteen… how old was your wife…"

"Shut up!" Kai yelled, standing up in the courtroom. He cast a worried look at Seth.

"Have you _ever_ been hated by your only relation? Have you _ever_ wanted to commit suicide because of something your father said?" Kai had never ever seen Seth this angry. "No? Then you wouldn't understand the feeling of wanting to hold onto someone who actually _loved _you. _Cared _for you, actually bothered to see if you lived or died. But you wouldn't understand, you with your happy suburban life!" Seth stood up and strode from the room, his limp even more pronounced than usual. Kai followed quickly, joined by the Demolition Boys.

"Dad!" Kai wrapped his arms around his father. Seth turned around and hugged his son to him, burying his face in Kai's thick hair.

"The jury have just gone out." Lee said quietly, entering the room. "The judge and prosecution are extremely certain of the verdict." Seth sat down with a sigh. Kai squeezed in next to him, Kasi sat behind him, rubbing his shoulders, Spencer sat on the side, a firm hand wrapped around Seth's wrist, Ian managed to perch himself on the Phantom's knee and Bryan sat down on the floor, leaning against Seth's knees, with one of the Phantom's hands entangled in his silvery locks. Lee smiled ruefully.

"We must keep our hopes up. A miracle may yet happen." Suddenly, Kevin poked his head through the door.

"They've come back in!" He said nervously. "It was a quick decision." Seth's grey eye snapped open in shock.

"Then… then we must go back." His voice trembled slightly as he stood up. Kai stood up with him and wrapped an arm around him, steadying him as he walked to the stand.

"We the jury, find Seth Dimitri Hiwatari…"

-

_All of this hate, and all of this pain, I'll burn it all down, as my anger reigns…_

-

_BWAHAHA… another cliffy! So, what do you think will happen? Will Seth be found guilty? Man, I've now got obsessed with Dracula 2000 – and I haven't even seen the damn film! Blame Alice (Eriksbestfriend) and please check out her story, it's in dire need of reviews! (Even though it's a POTO story.) Would you believe that her first review was a flame? And it's a very cool story… Anyway, do you think I should write a prequel to this, starting from where Seth meets Bryoni ending up about where he becomes the Phantom? I'd probably co-write it with Chu-Chi Face, so you would have lime! Tell me what you think! _

_'My name is Gay, but you can call me Koren' is (c) Amz and 'Old is good - And that's what makes you great!' is (c) The Suite Life._


	19. Chapter IXX: Staring at the Sun

Devil on the Doorstep

_How does I Write Sins sound for a title? Actually… that would fit in with the storyline… _

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter IXX: Staring at the Sun

"We the jury find Seth Dimitri Hiwatari not guilty of two charges of GBH. We the jury find Seth Dimitri Hiwatari not guilty on twenty charges of kidnapping. And, most importantly, we the jury find Seth Dimitri Hiwatari not guilty of the attempted rape of Lee Laan." Seth stared at the wooden stand in shock, only seeming to register the verdict when Kai ran up the aisle. Then, he raised a fist and gave an atypical wordless shout. That seemed to be the key for the rest of them, pouring up the aisles, jumping for joy.

"WHAT?" Both the prosecution and the judge were shocked. "How could you find him not guilty?"

"If he was guilty, then this scene wouldn't be happening, would it?" One of the jury replied stubbornly.

'Scene' was the right word for it. Bryan, Lee and Tala were jumping around in a circle, singing 'He got off, he got off!' over and over again, Kai hadn't let go of Seth, and Kasi was round the other side. And as for Spencer and Ian… well, put it this way, Ian was somewhere about the rafters, courtesy of Spencer.

"Dad." Kai drew back and held open his hand. Seth stared at his mask with an expression of childlike wonder on his face. Gently, he picked up the mask and slipped it on. "Welcome back to the world of the Phantom of the Abbey." Seth said with a sly grin

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Kai took the Phantom's hand and together they walked into the daylight.

-

_Daylight on my shoulder, makes me feel alive, you left me standing, in your shadow, and it's a cold cold place to hide…_

-

"So, where you going to go after this?" Ray asked as Kai staggered into the living area of the dojo.

"No idea…" Kai yawned and ruffled his hair. "Spending most of my time running from Johnny, probably." He ducked as Johnny threw an apple at him.

"Keep away from my sister, Hiwatari!" The said Scottish blader growled.

"For God's sake, Johnny!" Suzy recrossed her legs elegantly. "I'm a big girl. And anyway, Kai's far too hot to say no to…" The tip of her tongue poked out of her lip as Kai flushed. Seth raised an eyebrow as he walked into the kitchen.

"I don't think I even want to know what you're talking about." He said eloquently. "Kai, are you going to be coming back with the rest of us?"

"Where will you be going?" Kai sat down next to his father.

"Umm… Well, we'll go on a nice long extended holiday… I'm thinking Venice, they make good masks, and then I'll set the Boys up somewhere in Russia, then its back to the Abbey for me."

"The Abbey?"

"Well, at least back to the lair. As you said, there are plenty of children who still need me. The Abbey is never gone…" Seth's grey eye sharpened as he thought of some of the children on Boris' 'special list'.

"But this time they won't find you, right?"

"I'll see. You know there are more children like Bryan and Tala; with immense promise."

"Right…" Kai changed the subject. "Don't you have enough masks?"

-

_I'm tired of when you kick me around, try to kill my dreams and break me down, but I won't hang around…_

-

"Kai… Why are you going with them?" Tyson stood at the side of the airport as the Demolition Boys threw their luggage in.

"Because… Tyson, I have to. He's my _dad_ and the rest of them are idiots." Kai winced as Bryan threw Ian in with the luggage.

"But Kai…"

"Tyson, I don't care what you think!" Kai strode up the gangway.

"Alright!" Tala cheered out the window. "Venice, here we come!"

-

_I'm running away from this messed up place, I'm breaking free…_

-

_Ooo… The one before last chapter… The next is an epilogue of sorts… and I'm writing a Vampire fic after this, starring Seth and that lot… Crikey, that's six in the Phantom pipeline!_

_Review!_


	20. Chapter XX: Epilogue

Devil on the Doorstep

_Another fic finished… this is my longest to date! I hope you'll enjoy the rest of DOTD… and the rest of the Phantom Series; namely, This Curse You See Before You (The doomed love story of Bryoni and Seth), Sixteen Candles (A Vampire story using Seth, Dracula from Dracula 2000 and Erik from POTO), Keep It In The Family (A GX fic, where Seth is forty nine) and The Phantom's Children (A post G-Rev fic… featuring Brooklyn and Garland!) And just to clarify things – this chapter is set two months after G-Rev._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XX: Epilogue

"Are you sure this is the right house?" Tyson asked Ray. The house in question was big –very big – but seemed that the very rafters were shaking with the volume of music that was playing.

"And what would nice young people such as yourselves want with the folks in Genius House?" An old woman asked, stopping by the gate.

"Umm… Our friend… He lives here…" Max stammered.

"Somehow, I doubt that." A familiar voice came as someone stepped up the path.

"Garland!" A blonde boy looked slightly shocked. "Is the word nice not in your vocabulary?" He asked, giving the tall silvery haired blader a playful shove.

"Jesse, have you been getting shoving lessons from Bryan again?"

"Nope, that's Brendon. I get mine from Queen."

"And I think you get something else from Queen as well!" A black haired boy called teasingly from a top storey window.

"I'm going to get you Brendon Urie!" Jesse shook a fist at the closed window.

"Hang on a minute…" Tyson trailed off. Garland raised an eyebrow as he unlocked the door.

"Yes?" He asked as he rummaged in the cupboard. "Aha! The power switch!" The music turned off instantly.

"I'm going to KILL you, Garland Seabalt!" Bryan yelled.

"Why are you living with Kai and Bryan and… Queen? And isn't Brendon Urie the lead singer of Panic! At The Disco? And isn't he Jesse McCartney?" Tyson pointed to Jesse.

"(1) We go to school together, this is a dormitory. (2) Yes. (3) Yes."

"How the hell do you know Brendon Urie and Jesse McCartney?" Ray growled. Garland opened two bottles of J2O and spun one at Jesse.

"You forgot Emmy Rossum and Ryan Ross." Kai said from behind.

"Well? How do you know them?"

"Umm… Emmy because…" Kai pushed his hair out of his eyes. "We had to help with the Phantom film, they weren't getting the right atmosphere or something… and the others because… we sing, they sing."

"You sing?" Tyson smirked.

"Actually, it's more drums for me." Kai grabbed a bottle of J2O. "Bryan's the singer…"

"Kai!" Someone yelled from… below the ground. "Will you switch the bloody lights on?" Kai grinned and pushed the power switch.

"Sure thing, Queen."

-

_Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?_

-

"So… you aren't coming back?" Hilary said in disappointment. Kai rolled his eyes.

"No. I am not coming back." Bryan and Tala slipped in from the next room. Bryan had lavender hair again.

"Are you coming?" The lavender haired boy snapped.

"Queen is going mental." Tala added. "She says that your costumes haven't even been started!"

"Costume?" Ray looked at Kai.

"Never mind. Tell her I'm coming."

"**Kai. You can go with them if you want." **Seth opened his good eye.

"**I don't want to, Dad. I'm a Phantom's Child." **Kai stood up.

"We better go. We have a plane to catch." With a parting glare at Bryan, Ray and the Bladebreakers swept out.

"And to think…" Seth mused. "It all started with a little devil on the doorstep…"

_See the devil on the doorstep now, my oh my…_

_-_

_There is a flame that never dies, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise…_

-

_Sooo… please tell me what you thought of Devil on the Doorstep, Part Two of the Phantom Series! And look out for Sixteen Candles!_

_Thanks for reading!_


	21. Chapter XXI: Numb

Devil on the Doorstep

_Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think I'd write anymore… This is just a little songfic vignette in Seth's POV, about being scared._

Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XXI: Numb

_Tired of being who you want me to be_

Why is it me?

_Feeling so faithless_

All my memories are the same.

_Lost under the surface_

It was why I didn't want Kai to find out the connection between his father and The Phantom of the Abbey.

_Don't know what you're expecting of me_

I'm only thirty.

_Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes_

It's what I've been taught since I can remember

_Caught in the undertow_

And when you're a quiet person like me, you just go with it.

_Just caught in the undertow_

Swept along like you're caught in Lake Baikal.

_Every step that I take is another mistake to you_

As a teenager, I could do nothing right.

_Caught in the undertow_

Swept along.

_Just caught in the undertow_

I can't imagine what a normal life would be like.

_I've become so numb_

Numbness… a brilliant feeling.

_I can't feel you there_

When you don't care about anyone but yourself.

_I've become so tired_

But I couldn't do that.

_So much more aware_

I'm so aware of the Abbey. I guess it stems from living there for thirteen years.

_I'm becoming this_

And then I was steadily turning into the Phantom.

_All I want to do is be more like me_

What is me? Who is Seth Hiwatari?

_And be less like you_

A cruel, sadistic thirty year old?

_Can't you see that you're smothering me? _

A scared fifteen year old, who can't do anything right?

_Holding too tightly_

The boy who found out he impregnated a girl at the age of fifteen?

_Afraid to lose control_

The seventeen year old who cherished his dream of being an actor?

_Cause everything that you thought I would be_

Or The Phantom of the Abbey, the one that can do nothing?

_Has fallen apart right in front of you_

I can't have any regrets.

_Caught in the undertow_

Because, if I said I regretted meeting Bryoni, so she would live, then I wouldn't have Kai.

_Just caught in the undertow_

But I can't regret Kai.

_Every step that I take is another mistake to you_

Because he's the one that gives me the strength to carry on.

_Caught in the undertow_

He's one of the only good things that came out of this whole sordid mess.

_Just caught in the undertow_

The other is two years of freedom.

_And every second I waste is more than I can take_

I'm congratulated for being such an intense blader.

_I've become so numb_

But people don't realise that I block out every thought.

_I can't feel you there_

Every feeling except grief. Like Kai with anger and Bryan with hate, I let grief battle for me.

_I've become so tired_

And I'm tired of being the Phantom.

_So much more aware_

I want to be Seth Hiwatari.

_I'm becoming this_

I can live without all the trappings.

_All I want to do is be more like ma_

All I want is for Kai and Bryan and Tala and Spencer and Ian to have a proper family.

_And be less like you _

And I have to give them that position. I have to be all their family.

_And I know I may end up failing too_

Afraid to fall.

_But I know that you were just like me_

Because I don't know if I can go on, with betraying them again.

_With someone disappointed in you_

Disappointed… no, disgusted.

_I've become so numb_

I've trained myself to become like Bryan and Kai.

_I can't feel you there_

Thirteen years of loneliness.

_I've become so tired_

I'm tired of being the scapegoat.

_So much more aware_

I want to sit back and watch my son surprise the audiences.

_I'm becoming this _

That is what I am scared of.

_All I want to do is be more like me_

Not pain or suffering.

_And be less like you_

Because I can deal with that.

_I've become so numb _

And I can deal with failure when they are standing behind me.

_I can't feel you there_

But I am scared of myself.

_Tired of being who you want me to be_

Scared of letting them down.

_I've become so numb _

Scared of kindness.

_I cant feel you there_

Because I am not kind.

_Tired of being who you want me to be_

I am the Phantom.

-

_I don't know where that came from… one minute, I was typing up the third chapter of Sixteen Candles, the next I was thinking 'Let's write another chapter'. I know it doesn't really fit in, but I couldn't do it as anything separate, because it doesn't have too much to do with anything except Seth… So… hope you liked it, and look out for Sixteen Candles!_


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